The Birds and the Bears
by TiberiusFish
Summary: Teddy and Victiore have known each other since babyhood. One afternoon the two kids made a promise that Teddy would never look at Vic the way most boys did. Little did the young friends know that their solemn oath was destined to be broken.
1. Prologue

Prologue

In the Veela species, there are no males. Beautiful Veela daughters are born of one human male parent, and one woman with Veela blood. It doesn't always happen however. The man and Veela must be deeply and truly in love. Since Veelas are so magnificently beautiful, lust is often mistaken for real love, and thus full Veela women are rare. Bill and Fleur Weasly were in love when Victoire was conceived. The everlasting impenetrable kind of love, the kind of love that makes Veelas.

Since birth Victoire Weasley had a hold over men. She had this indefinable draw for them, which was almost impossible to resist. As she grew from a baby to a young girl everyone who was not a blood relation was enchanted by her appearance. It was difficult for her, growing up that way. People rarely could bring themselves to look past her beautiful face.

Apart from her flawless skin and ice blue eyes, Victoire had long silver hair that grew at least two inches each night while she slept and never got tangled. She was willowy and delicate, even as a kid and her movements were blessed with a birdlike grace. Not everything about being a Veela was beauty however. She was born with an unfortunate proclivity for pyrotechnics. When she got angry things around her were liable to spontaneously combust. Her parents had a hippogriff of a time keeping the house from burning down when Victiore was small, and couldn't control her emotions. Another less obvious side effect was the fact that it was very difficult for her to make true friends. People were always so caught up in her surface appearance, they either felt mesmerized, or jealous, or a litany of other non-companionable emotions.


	2. Chapter One Cheese Cauldron Tossers

Chapter One. Cheese Cauldron Tossers.

Victoire P.O.V.

Sixth Year:

I'm not looking forward to going back to Hogwarts much. I am excited to be able to do magic and everything, but being there eats at me. My dorm mates in Ravenclaw don't seem to know what to do with me. They've been nice enough since first year, but as soon as I turn my back I feel like they are spreading rumors about me.

There was that one time that someone told Fisk Burnaby that I had a burning passion for him, and he wouldn't stop asking be out for three months. Or that other time in fourth year that someone charmed all of my robes bright magenta and I couldn't for the life of me change them back, and had to send to Madame Malkin's for more. Over my school career there have been many such incidents. I try to ignore them, stay proud, and keep to myself, but sometimes they are really hurtful. Last year was the worst though. I really truly hit puberty, and all Hades broke loose.

Jessica Patil got it in her jealous head that the only way that the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain would look at her twice was to have me get expelled. She tried all kinds of stuff, including defacing the Second Wizarding War memorial with rainbow colour change spray paint, spelling out the words "VICTOIRE WEASLEY WAS HERE".

One of her more cruel attempts was when she went, tearfully, to Headmistress McGonagall swearing she'd seen me and Professor Greenbank, who taught DADA at the time, coming out of a broom closet together. Jessica may not have been all that bright, but she was certainly conniving. Professor Greenbank was transferred, even thought I vehemently denied the accusation, and after that none of the other male Professors would stay in the same room alone with me. It was like I had some kind of disease, but on the plus side they stopped giving me detention.

After that Jessica's attempts died down a little. She did small spiteful things like adding swelling solution to my forgetfulness potion during the OWLs practice exam and convincing her brainless lackey, Brian Welling, to write raunchy information about me in all the boys toilets. She was a bitter girl last year and I kind of hope she's forgotten all about me over the summer.

Other than mean girls, I had to deal with other irritating things last year. Namely boys chasing me around, trying to get me to go out with them. I dunno if Veelas are supposed to be really promiscuous, but I myself am emphatically not. Within the first week of fifth year I'd been asked out over thirty five times, which averages out to five times a day.

After that I stopped counting, and begged Teddy to teach me a disillusionment charm, and all the secret passage ways that he knew. He did, and it was then that we really started hanging out. We worked together on homework deep in the stacks of the library, casting the Muffliato charm around us so that the ancient Madame Pince would not hear us chatting. Teddy taught me how to do this jinx that causes the male victim to get an irrepressible itch in their nether regions for forty five seconds. He said it was to keep the un wanted suitors away. Needless to say it is effective.

Most of the time we sat in silence, simply enjoying each other's company. It was really lovely. Teddy acted like my one man safe haven, keeping me calm and centered, keeping me from accidentally torching Jessica Patil to ashes. I hope that he hasn't forgotten about me this summer. We didn't spend much time together, because my family went to france to visit Maman's younger sister, and Teddy wasn't at the end of summer Weasley gathering.

"Victoire!" Maman is calling me from the base of the stairs, breaking me out of my reflections. "Victioire, eef we do not leave zis instant, we will be tres retard for zee 'ogwarts Express." I grab my heavy trunk in one hand, and stuff the last of my belongings into my purse, then trundle down out towards the hearth in the kitchen. Domonique is starting her second year at Hogwarts, and Louis his first, so my parents will be empty nesters this year. Maman is slightly tearful as she places soggy kisses on the heads of her two silver haired Veela daughters, and her one red headed son. She and Papa usher us into the large hearth and one by one we each shout "Platform 9 and 3/4!" then disappear in a swirl of green flame.

After I make sure that Dom and Louis have got there trunks on the train and are happily sequestered in a compartment, I go to try and find Teddy. As I struggle down the packed corridor I try to avoid the gawping boys. It is so stupid. Most of them have known me for years, you'd think they'd have gotten over me by now. It's not as if I've been encouraging their advances at all.

I duck into a loo. Rummaging in my purse I find a long blue silk scarf, that Maman got me in france. I wind it carefully around my waste length silver hair and bind it to my head. For some reason my disillusionment charms don't work that well on my Veela hair. It seems to defy any kind of magical concealment, or transfiguration. Muttering the charm, and feeling the familiar sensation of a cold egg being smashed on my head, I dissolution myself.

The corridors are packed, and people keep bumping into my invisible self, and looking confusedly around. I don't care. It is nice to not draw people's eyes. I pass the prefects cabin and see Jessica Patil, and her no account friend Melanie Fern. It baffles me that they got to be prefects, what is the world coming to? Finally I see him. Teddy is much taller than I remember. Today his hair is turquoise and shaggy, matching his eyes exactly, and his shoulders seem a lot more broad. Last year Teddy was all elbows an knees, his hands and feed large on his gangly frame. Boy did he fill out! I blush at the direction of my thoughts, momentarily forgetting that no one can see me. He is chatting animatedly with some other Griffindor seventh years. They are all taller and brawnier than last year, but Teddy is by far the most handsome.

I remove the disillusionment charm, and seem to fade into visibility. For a moment no one notices me, then Manfred Bletchly catches sight of me. A familiar dreamy expression steals over his face, and he looses the train of the conversation. Teddy say "Manny!" while poking his friend in the ribs "You were just telling me the Chuddley Canon's chaser got spatergr ..." His eyes fell on me and his annoyed expression morphs into a smile. "Vic." I run at him, literally, and jump into his arms. "What are you wearing on your head, Vic?" he asks. One of his arms is firmly around my waist, holding me a good foot above the ground, and the other pulls at the scarf around my hair, letting it fall in silver sheets down my back."Teddy you know that I can't disillusion my hair." I remind him laughing quietly. He sets me down, leaving an arm around my waist and turns to his slightly stunned friends. "Will, Manny! Snap out of it guys. It's just Vic." They both try unsuccessfully to clear their dazed expressions.

We all jam into a compartment, that already contains some of Teddy's other friends, and I end up squashed between Teddy and Manfred. The Griffindors start up a ratios game of Exploding Snap, while I crack open Advanced Potion Making Grade Six and start reading. We are traveling along merrily until Manfred dose something unwise. His hand rests on my thigh, heavy, hot and unwelcome. Apparently over the summer my control got a little rusty. The entire deck of Exploding Snap cards burst into noisy flames, the lamp above us sparks out, and Manfred yanks his hand back howling, "You crazy bitch! You burned my hand!". The other five occupants of the compartment quickly stifle their sounds of surprise as Teddy jumps to his feet. His hair has turned a fiery shade of red and his eyes are dark with anger. Before I can stop him he has Manfred hanging by the collar of his shirt, the end of Teddy's wand pressed against his chin. "If you didn't grope her that wouldn't happen. Idiot." Teddy's voice is low and threatening. "Say your sorry Manny." Manfred's usually ruddy face is whey coloured, and his voice waivers as he squeaks "Sorry Victiore." Teddy lets go of his collar and Manfred drops lackadaisically back into the seat. "We're leaving." Teddy growls, grabbing my hand and marching to the door.

He doesn't speak as he strides down the corridor, my hand still clamped in his. His legs are much longer than mine, and I jog to keep up. We reach the end of the passenger cars. Teddy points his wand at the door to the baggage car, and it springs open. He pulls me in after him and then, all of a sudden, his strong arms are wrapped around me. "Are you ok Vic?" He whispers into my hair. "He didn't get you too bad?" I push his chest away from me and smile up at him. "You didn't need to freak out, Teddy. I deal with stuff like that often, while I'm here." Teddy scowls and says, "Not if I can help it."


	3. Chapter Two Obstreperous Thoughts

Chapter Two. Obstreperous Thoughts.

Teddy's P.O.V.

The first few weeks of seventh year have been torture. On top of being Griffindor Quidtich Captain, and mountains of N.E.W.T. homework, I have recently discovered that Victoire Weasley is gorgeous. I mean, I always knew she was really pretty, she is a Veela, but now she is totally one hundred precent stunning. I can't control myself around her, and it is making me feel like one of those drooling dummies like Manfred, just lusting after her bodacious bod. Don't get me wrong, I do lust after her, in fact I can hardly keep my hair from turning pink when I'm around her, but I also liked her before I knew she was beautiful.

That first day on the train, after not seeing her for so long, and having her jump into my arms I may have over reacted. She just looked so angry at Manfred, and I felt like hexing him so hard his cheese cauldron inventing ancestors would feel it. We have been dancing around each other a little recently. She, as always, walks the halls alone with her magnificent head held tall and her waterfall of hair dancing behind her. I can't think of the right thing to say to her, or how to tell her how I feel. 'Hey Vic, your my best mate you know, but right now I want to drag you into the nearest broom closet and shag you.' No definitely not that.'I'd like to get my basilisk into your chamber of secrets.' Too crass, that won't work either. 'Victiore Weasley, I love you.' Ah hell. What am I going to do?

Victiore's P.O.V.

A brisk breeze blows around me and I shiver. I'm sitting on the roof of the owlry, my Nimbus Omega laying on the shale beside me. I often like to fly up here and read. Technically it is against the rules, but what good Weasley ever let that stop them? I am trying to read the latest Quibbler and the words are going in one eye and out the other. Why is Teddy avoiding me? He must be mad about something, because Teddy never uses to much work as an excuse not to say hello.

Far below the lawn is dusted with frost. It is late October now, almost Hallowe'en. Hagrid is moving slowly across the Quidditch pitch, his hair and beard are pure white now. Grawp lumbers along behind him, dragging a massive qudditch goal hoop, to replace the one that got destroyed in a vicious game between Slytherin and Griffindor last week. Teddy played magnificently. He looked so agile and capable, leading his team to victory.

I tried to talk to him after the game, and catch him when he was euphoric and full of adrenaline, but he was swamped with celebrators and I couldn't get close. He is probably sleeping of a fire whiskey hangover this morning. It is only seven am. From this lofty perch I can see Griffindor tower. I know which window enters onto Teddy's dorm because in his third year him and his mates inflated a huge magical lion that spilled out of their room and floated away while the second year Ravenclaws had Care of Magical Creatures.

Teddy's dorm. The idea is a risky one, and my inner logic reasons against it, but I still jump on my broom. I fly to the afore mentioned window and step down onto the sill. Sometimes having Veela poise comes in handy. I unlock the latch "Alohamora." softly and climb into the room. The red curtains are drawn on all seven beds, but it is easy to tell which is Teddy's. There are loads of pictures of the Potters and the Weasleys on his bed side table. In the front there is one of his parents, Remus and Tonks, and beside that is one of his grandmother, Andromeda. Family clearly matters to him.

I slip of my shoes, tuck my cloak and broom under his bed, and quietly open the hangings. There he is, gloriously shirtless, his hair turned back to it's original shade of light brown. He is breathing deeply, and he looks so peaceful. I carefully climb onto the bed beside him, working myself under his covers to try and banish the early morning chill. I close the curtains tight around us, because if I can hardly believe what I am doing, what will other people think? I face my back to his front and soon fall into a doze. He makes me feel so safe.

Teddy's P.O.V.

I wake slowly, gradually becoming aware of my surroundings. The first thing I really notice is that someone is in my bed, besides me. Then I relies that the someone is Vic.

When we were little, and all the family was together, I used to sneak into Vic's room at night if I was missing my parents badly. We would sleep back to front, like we are now, until morning came when I would slip back to my own bed. When school started, and I was in the year above her as well as being in a different house, we stopped. I suppose we realized that that kind of behavior wasn't ordinary.

Right now I sure feel extra ordinary. I try to concentrate on the golden embroidery on the edge of the bed hangings and not the fresh flowery smell emanating from Vic's hair, but find it impossible. I sit up, reluctantly unwinding my arms from around her. She stirs a little then says yawning, "Teddy, you're up." She rolls over and props herself up on one elbow. "I tried to stay awake but your bed is so warm and comfortable." She is giving be a dazzling sleepy smile, and my imagination shoots into over drive. Quickly constructing a scene where Victoire is worn out for a whole different kind of reason. I yank my thoughts back to the present. Uncomfortably I ask, "Vic, this is a nice surprise, but what in Griffindor's name are you doing in my bed?" Her eyes loose their fogginess as a pale blush colours her high cheeks. "I came to talk to you, but you were asleep.", she whispers defensively. "I wanted to see you and ask why you've been avoiding me." Now it is my turn to blush. I can feel my hair morphing to white, the colour it is when I am lying to someone important, as I say "I haven't. I've just been busy Vic." She looks at my hair. Her usually carefully controlled and concealed emotions play across her face. First confusion, then hurt, and last anger. "Don't lie to me Theodore." Her voice, while still a whisper, is rising and I can smell something smoking. I feel my own anger come to my defense. "Don't call me that _Victoire_." I shouldn't goad her. I really just don't want to tell her the real reason that our paths haven't crossed in the last while.

Vic's had problems with boys since she was tiny. I remember the summer we vowed that I was never going to become one of the boys that chased after her. It was a solemn oath, and if we'ed had wands at the time it would have been an unbreakable vow. I don't want to break my promise now.

While I was immersed in memory, Vic was getting angrier. By the time I have gathered my words into some kind of apology Vic is furious. She jumps up with feline grace, grabs her broomstick from beneath my bed and strides to the open window. "When feel like telling me the truth, come talk to me, but until then stuff it." In one fluid motion Vic leaps out the window and onto her Nimbus Omega. My bed hangings burst into flame.


	4. Chapter Three, Hallowe'en

Chapter Three, Hallowe'en.

Victiore's P.O.V.

Over the next week, my fuming anger shrank and smoldered, changing into a raw, sore hurt feeling always at the back of my thoughts. It is Thursday and as the Hallowe'en ball this weekend draws nearer the castle becomes rowdier. I spend the ten minutes between classes attempting to avoid over eager boys, while trying to be on time. My hurt has caused my dissolution charms to be weak and ineffective. That in combination with my Veela hormones acting up, has made it a hazardous week.

Bobby O'Reilly asked me out boldly in front of the great hall at breakfast yesterday, and his school bag exploded. Wendell Dove from Slytherin grabbed my ass in Care of Magical Creatures and the tray holding the bowtrucles for the whole class started sparking and smoking, causing the unfortunate bowtrucles to leap off and run for cover. Rumors about my literally fiery temper started permeating the school, and the stupid boys were not discouraged. Apparently the risk was worth it because eleven more have idiots asked since.

I owled to Maman to ask her what to do, and spent several hours in Dom's dorm room in Griffindor tower hiding. Dom thought the whole thing was quite funny, mostly because she is more even tempered than I and has fewer incendiary encounters. She stayed amused until I broke down and told her I was upset. She offered to poke Teddy in the eye, or hex him in some place unmentionable to knock some sense into him, but I said no. It was nice having a little sister to protect me.

Teddy's P.O.V.

I have had to talk my self out of dueling boys the muggle way all week. People have been hounding Vic really badly and I know she is already upset. Every time guys come within three meters of her I feel like knocking the stuffing clean out of them. My hair, which changes uncontrollably with strong emotions, has been alternating between black, smoky grey, and red all week, and my friends are wary of my temper. I've caught Vic's eye once or twice but she either glares at me, or looks away. I feel so dissatisfied with myself. If I could just half lie to Vic, tell her that I was thinking of a girl or something, maybe she would talk to me again. But even practicing in the mirror makes my hair turn white. What am I going to do?

Hallowe'en arrives. Headmistress McGonagal booked the 'Hairy Hippogriffs' to play at a ball of sorts for the older grades after the meal. Girls have been giggling about mysterious things for weeks. Me and my friend Will walk down to the great hall again after changing into our dress robes. Mine are a bit short for me, and my trainers are showing. Will is meeting his date, a Huffelpuff girl, at the base of the marble staircase. I haven't got one, though certainly not for a lack of options.

Just as the doors swing open, revealing the great hall's Jack'o Lantern themed decorations, I spot Vic. I stop moving. My jaw drops and I stand there dazed for at least five seconds. Mine is not a unique reaction, boys all around have paused mid act, and the whole lot of us look as if we've been confounded. Vic is dressed in a long simple silver dress with thin glittering straps. Her hair falls well past her waist, and the pale skin of her elegant neck exposed. I didn't think that she would come, in light of her unwillingness to have a date, but I should have known Vic wouldn't pass up a chance to dance.

When she was five and I was six, Grandma Weasley had a family party. As is usual at such affairs all the kids got bunched together in a massive roving group. The Weird Sisters were having a reunion tour, and it was playing live on the Wizarding Wireless Network. Vic stood up on her own, abandoning the gobstones game we were playing and started to dance. She was so small and pretty, swirling in a pink skirt.

Grown up Vic is supremely beautiful while she dances. The Hairy Hippogriffs are playing a fast song, couples are gyrating there hips in sync, circles of girls are grooving together, and a line of dateless boys stand along the side of the hall. Vic dances alone, swaying rhythmically to the upbeat tune. The fabric of her dress flows like quick silver over her small curves. She looks like a human Patronus tonight. To my disappointment the song ends.

Victiore's P.O.V.

For a moment the music freed me from my worries. It took me to this beautiful perfect place, but then the song concluded. I glide off the dance floor, heading for the drinks table for a Gilliwater. I have not made eye contact with Teddy yet tonight, but I can feel his eyes on me. They leave this hot prickly trail behind them, and are extremely difficult to ignore. I miss him sorely. My homework hours in the library are a lot less fun, and a lot more lonesome.

As I sip my drink in a quiet corner Manfred Bletchly struts up. He hasn't had the nerve to speak to me since he groped me on the train, but apparently tonight he lost his good sense. I turn away and he grabs my arm, hard. "Don't avoid me, pretty Vicky." he say cloyingly. I snap back "You are hurting my arm. Let go." Instead of releasing my arm the idiot decides he would rather touch me some more. His other sweaty hand, the one not clamped on my forearm, runs slowly up the side of my hip. I wrench myself away from him but his grip is too firm. "Pretty Vicky. You don't have to play hard to get anymore, I know you want this." I feel like vomiting. There has never been a better time for my Veela fire trick to come into play, but fear is clouding my instincts. I left my wand in my purse, which sits on a chair across the hall, and Manfred is a good hundred pounds heavier than I.

Suddenly he releases me. He is clawing at his chest as tiny blue tentacle like appendages start forming there. He is clearly in extreme discomfort, and his emitting a strange keening sound, like a cat that has been stepped on. I slump against the wall in relief, while glancing around for my rescuer. Of course, Teddy.

He strides towards me, pushes Manfred wiggling form out of the way with a foot, then takes me up in his arms. I forgive Teddy in that second. It doesn't matter that much that he lied. He probably had a good reason. I just want to stay close to him and he, seeming to read my thoughts, pulls me even closer. My small frame pressed up against his large one, my face buried in the fabric of his dress robes, smelling the rich piney scent of him. When he lets go, he looks into my eyes and says sincerely "I'm so sorry Vic." then he flicks his wand and summons my purse. "Do you want me to walk you to the Ravenclaw Common Room?" My voice is still evading me, so I just nod.

Together we leave, into the entrance hall. After the noise and excitement of the ball the silence presses in on us, drawing us closer together. Teddy throughs an arm around my shoulder that chases away the chill of the corridor. With his uncanny knowledge of the castle layout he leads me to Ravenclaw tower easily. He doesn't speak until are standing in front of the eagle door knocker. His voice is a bit hoarse as he asks, "Are we done arguing Vic? It is barmy bein' at odds with you." I want to know why he lied. He hasn't ever done that to me before, but he is right, being at odds with each other is hard. So I say "We're done, Teddy. Thank you for hexing Bletchley." We embrace briefly then bid each other goodnight.

After he leaves I knock the door, and the eagle asks "I am always hungry, I must always be fed. The finger I touch must soon turn red. What am I?" I think back over the week that passed, about all the over eager boys and their fates and say "Fire."


	5. Chapter Four Befuddling Break

Chapter 4. Befuddling Break

Teddy's P.O.V.

Victoire and I have tentatively returned to our earlier relationship. We spend time together studying, she comes to my quidditch practices to watch me play keeper and we eat meals together. It isn't quite the same though. I catch her looking at me from time to time, almost like I am some kind of specimen that she is writing a paper on. I'm sure it is because I lied to her. It might seem like a small thing, but it is a rift between us. I can't quite return to being 'good old Teddy' again. I try desperately not to think of Vic in a less than chummy fashion, but it is impossible. At night, caught in that half awake half asleep world where dreams grow, Vic comes to me. She is often less than clothed and it makes me fervently glad that waking Vic is not an Occlumence.

Fall fades into winter and Christmas approaches. This weekend is the last Hogsmead visit before the holidays and all the older students are planning to get there gift shopping done. As I leave the castle and walk towards the village I can't help but think my heart isn't quite in the Christmas sprit. I am looking forward to seeing my grandmother, but it is still hard for me. She lives in the "Sanatarium for Wizarding Elderly on Larabey Lane'. She often jokes that the place isn't as SWELL as the name might lead you to believe, and I think it is because she's lonely there. On top of that things are still not right with Vic. Maybe when we are surrounded by the multitude of Potters and Weasleys things will cheer up. It'll be a good chance for me to ask Harry for advice.

I walk up the high street, popping my collar up against the bitter wind. I struggle into Honeydukes, which is packed with students, and pick up some Fizzing Whizbees for the many tots that I will see over the holidays. Next stop is Gladrags Wizarding Wear, where I pick out an assortment of silly winter hats for the family matriarchs, including one that grows puffier as the temperature drops, and one that will bite your ears if you forget to wear the matching mittens. Among the shops in Hogsmead are several less reputable establishments. One of said venues is tucked away on a side street. It is called 'Heracles's Haberdashery', and sells everything from doxy eggs to acid spraying gobstone sets to hinkypunk feet. I once found a watch here that pokes you in the arm if you are late for an appointment, it was highly useful until the face got cracked during a quidditch game and it started poking me all the time with increasing force. You never know quite what you'll find here.

On a shelf between a dog eared copy of 'A Squibs Guide to Everything Muggle, (from phone books to electric lights)' and a large jar containing a murky substance filled with chunks, sat the perfect gift for Vic. It was an intricate silver charm in the shape of an wolf suspended from a long silver chain. It's beauty was not what drew me to it however. The label attached read 'This charm is for those who prefer to go unseen. It causes passive eyes to glance over the wearer, letting them be unnoticed. Warning: may cause surrounding people to be confused and disoriented after prolonged use. This is not an invisibility cloak, and will not hide you if you are truly sought.' My face broke into a large smile, no more disillusionment charms for you Vic.

My heart was much lighter as I headed back up to the castle. Though the wind was icy and biting, and the sky was grey and threatening snow, I felt like singing. Harry would give me the advice I need, Ginny would feed us all until bursting, my grandmother would be happy in my company, and Vic wouldn't get hassled so much.

Victiore's P.O.V.

The Burrow is full to bursting. Even with the magically expanded den and kitchen, the house is packed. Weasleys and Potters are spilling into the upper floors and I am wondering where the sole Lupin of this holiday gathering is. We've been hanging out again and I am extremely glad. Teddy is the only one in my family who is content to hang out with me without talking much. We aren't really related of course, but he is with us every holiday and is often around over the summer, so it sometimes seems like he is.

My mother cannot for the life of her understand why I am not more outgoing. She herself was a queen bee type at Beaubatons, triwizard champion and all. She just doesn't get how a Veela could possibly be shy. I think my father is secretly glad. Weasley men are notoriously protective. The prospect of having any daughter go to boarding school was daunting, but having a daughter that men of all ages are drawn to like bees to honey be out of his reach was terrifying.

"Victiorie!" Granny Weasley calls. "Dinner's ready sweetheart. Come on down from there." I am sitting in the attic, which the ghoul with make believe Spatergriote has long since vacated. It was the only place in the house that was quiet, and as I slide down the ladder into the fray I feel a little disappointed. After shoving 'Advanced Guide to Concealment Charms' into my pocket, which has an undetectable expansion charm on it, I walk downstairs.

The dinning table is packed. Amongst the many red heads, raven haired blokes, babies and the three silver haired grandparents at the table is Teddy. His hair is gold, green and red tonight in honor of Christmas. My face breaks into a huge smile. I want to give him a hug, but he is on the far side of the table, squashed between Aunty Hermione and Uncle George. The roar of excited conversation and the occasional laden dish being levitated down the table can't distract me from his face. We barely said goodbye at Hogwarts, and I have missed him fiercely.

"So lone Ravenclaw, how is brilliance treating you?" Uncle George asks grinning. My face flushes slightly as I respond, "Well bold Griffindor of many, it is alright I suppose. I dumped Jessica Patil into that swap you and your brother left in the seventh floor corridor. Thanks for putting it there." On my left my father splutters on his mashed potatoes and George chuckles, "Knew you had it in ya, Weasley! What did she do to insight this uncharacteristic bout of truancy?"

I find myself distinctly unwilling to recount that Jessica Patil's bitter teasing had taken a turn for the worse, especially in front of my whole extended family. On this particular occasion, Jessica had hit me with a painful stinging jinx in transfiguration class, just as I was trying to complete a particularly difficult spell. Her actions had left me with the back of my neck and shoulders swelling to terrific preparations, and an enormous giraffe replacing the Professor's desk. This in turn had urned me detention and a trip to the infirmary. I had been so angry, that my reason was clouded, and I pushed Jessica Patil into the mucky depths of the Weasley brother's portable cuts into the conversation and saves me from having to reply. "Jessica's a prat, what ever she did she definitely deserved it."

At the other end of the table Ron and Hermione's youngest son Hugo starts singing, distracting everyone. Under cover of an out of tune rendition of 'Hark the Hippogriffs' I slip from the table and motion for Teddy to follow. We creep upstairs and ascend five flights and a ladder before we reach the attic. I cast the muffilato charm below us then say "Happy Christmas, Teddy."

Teddy's P.O.V.

Vic is dressed in a misshapen sweater with large uneven silver bells worked on its front. Mrs. Weasley is old and her vision is less than accurate, causing her knitting spells to be a bit haphazard. Vic looks beautiful any ways. We sit on an old clapped out sofa and I say "I've got a gift for you." I am a quite nervous about her reaction. I really want her to be happy this holiday. I pull the small velvet case from my robes and hand it to her. "You didn't have to get me anything Teddy." She says softly as she strokes her fingers over the box. I prompt, "Open it Vic." and she does. Her face lights up and a whispered "Oh Teddy, it's beautiful." slips from her lips. "I didn't get it cause it's pretty Vic. I got it to keep you safe." Her nose scrunches in confusion as she touches the intricate wolf charm. She looks so cute that I almost don't want to explain it to her but I do. She says nothing and instead hugs me tightly.

We are pressed up against each other. There are five floors between us and anyone else. It causes me to be quite hot around the collar as Vic pulls away. "I've got a present for you too. It isn't as good as yours though." "I will love it." I respond earnestly. Out of her pocket she pulls an impossibly large package. "How..?" she grins and says "Undetectable expansion charm. Here." The gift is wrapped in gold paper with little quidditch balls moving around on it's surface. I eagerly unwrap it and find an extremely handsome set of keeper's armor. The burgundy leather is clearly dragon hide, and when I flip the shoulder pads over I find 'Lupin' embossed on the back in gold. She is watching me carefully and is taken by surprise when I grip her in my arms again.

The gifts lay momentarily forgotten as I run my hand through her long silvery hair and pull her into my lap. My brain clouds over with the enticing flowery smell of her. When my lips press her neck she squeaks. For a moment I'm frozen in place, not believing what my body is doing, then my wits catch up with me. Gently I place Vic back on the sofa and stand up. My back is turned to her when she asks "Teddy, why is your hair pink?" I am mortified. While trying to think of something else, anything but the way Vic felt pressed against me, I growl "I dunno, it just dose that sometimes. We'd better go back down now or we'll be missed." Without further ado I jump through the trap door and down the ladder, leaving a flushed and confused Vic behind.


	6. Chapter Five Dastardly Duelers

Chapter Five. Dastardly Duelers.

Victiore's P.O.V.

I am extremely confused about Teddy's actions over the holidays. He had me wrapped up in his arms so close to him that I was actually on his lap when he kissed my neck. Kissed it. What is even more bewildering is that I liked it. Me who rarely enjoys any kind of physical contact including with family members enjoyed a kiss on the neck by a teen age boy. Blimey.

On the train ride back to Hogwarts I didn't see Teddy at all. The trip wasn't so bad though. Because the wolf charm Teddy gave me for Christmas really works I spent a blissfuly quiet time sequestered in a compartment with three oblivious fourth years. Now I can walk the halls in peace. People still spot me of course, Teddy explained that the charm only works if no one is specifically seeking you, but the stares are no where near as bad. I have to take it off in class, regretfully, because teachers need to know I am there.

I am on the proverbial fence about my feelings for Teddy. He is my best mate, the only person at Hogwarts that isn't family that I actually like. I really don't want to loose him because of some stupid passing fancy. It doesn't feel like a flighty affection though. He pops up in my thoughts at the most inopportune moments, like in Potions class when we were researching Amortentia. Professor Wilhelm had procured a small sample and we all were put to smelling it in turns. We were supposed to write notes on the way it made us feel, then compose an essay on the risks of powerful love potions. When my turn came about I sniffed accordingly and smelled... I smelled Teddy. Some of it was indefinable but parts included the piney scent that he had after a shower, mixed with the dewy slightly musky smell only windblown quiditch players get in the early morning. I could hardly write my essay for embarrassment.

To try an cure myself of my insanity I shut myself in the library, and burry myself in books about advanced defense spells. I am learning the kind of stuff that they never teach at Hogwarts. My wolf charm lets me peruse the Restricted Section at my leisure, and I find myself again thinking of Teddy. Bugger, I gotta get my mind of of him. I have a lot of theoretical knowledge of defense spells but not much experience using them. An idea strikes me as my eyes fall on a dusty tomb titled 'Wand Kata'. Inside are detailed many movement patterns used specifically for defensive and offensive dueling. There beautiful hand drawn diagrams of Japanese wizards from long ago fighting with intricate dancer like grace. I grab the book and head for the first place I think of. The Room of Requirement.

In the seventh floor corridor by the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, I pace back and forth in front of the wall three times. Thinking 'I need a place to go undisturbed and practice wand kata in' as hard as I can, I am not surprised when a dark lacquered door pops into existence. Upon entering, I find a large space with a padded floor, mirrored walls, large posters depicting wand kata moves, and inexplicably a muggle boom box. Electronics aren't supposed to work at Hogwarts but this is the Room of Requirement. I suppose the room thought I needed muggle tunes. Everything is slightly charred and the place smells a bit smoky but I don't mind, apparently it has been that way since the Second Wizarding War when there was an incident in here with some fiend fire. I know that every time that I have visited it has been so.

With a flick of my wand and a non-verbal spell I switch on the boom box. A muggle song that I don't recognize blasts out. The tune is catchy and as it plays I start dancing.

_First when there's nothing_

_but a slow glowing dream_

_that your fear seems to hide_

_deep inside your mind._

_All alone I have cried_

_silent tears full of pride_

_in a world made of steel,_

_made of stone._

_Well, I hear the music,_

_close my eyes, feel the rhythm,_

_wrap around, take a hold_

_of my heart._

_What a feeling._

_Bein's believin'._

_I can have it all, now I'm dancing for my life._

_Take your passion_

_and make it happen._

_Pictures come alive, you can dance right through your life._

_Now I hear the music,_

_close my eyes, I am rhythm._

_In a flash it takes hold_

_of my heart._

_What a feeling._

_Bein's believin'._

_I can have it all, now I'm dancing for my life._

_Take your passion_

_and make it happen._

_Pictures come alive, now I'm dancing through my life._

_What a feeling._

_What a feeling I AM MUSIC NOW_

_Bein's believin'. I AM RHYTHM NOW_

_Pictures come alive, you can dance right through your life._

_What a feeling. YOU CAN REALLY HAVE IT ALL_

_What a feeling. PICTURES COME ALIVE WHEN I CALL_

_I can have it all I CAN REALLY HAVE IT ALL_

_Have it all PICTURES COME ALIVE WHEN I CALL_

_CALL CALL CALL CALL WHAT A FEELING_

_I can have it all BEIN'S BELIEVIN_

_Bein's believin' TAKE YOUR PASSION_

_MAKE IT HAPPEN_

_make it happen WHAT A FEELING_

_what a feeling BEIN'S BELIEVIN' (fade)_

The song leaves me feeling empowered and womanly. I smile as it turns on repeat, and turn to the 'Wand Kata' book. The movement patterns in the beginning are fairly easy, but as I progress through the pages they get more difficult. Finally I am so sweaty and tired that I stop. The smokiness of the room is getting to me a bit so I pack up my books and leave. The defense patterns particularly attracted me, showing ways to retrieve your wand if an attacker disarms you and return to your feet after a blow. I will be sure to practice more, not only for the knowledge but also because my mind didn't once stray to Teddy while I trained. Bollox, I am thinking about him again.

Teddy's P.O.V.

After a brutal quidditch practice where I drilled the team so hard that Mary-Anne Milgrave, my best chaser, burst into tears I slouch back to the castle. There is nothing like rigorous physical activity to clear your mind. However, this tried and true method didn't seem to work for me. Vic stands foremost in my thoughts. I feel so guilty about groping her that I haven't been able to bring myself to talk to her since. I have used my excellent navigation skills in the castle, curtsey of 'The Marauders Map', and a knowledge of Vic's class schedule to evade her entirely this week.

I drag myself to the fourth floor and grunt the password to the Prefects' bathroom "perfectly pristine". I grumpily think that the password is positively pretentious. After stripping and playing with the multitude of taps a bit, I sink into the foamy piney-smelling water. It envelops me in warmth, seeping into the muscles that ache. Like a muggle compass that always points true north, my brain again turns to Vic. In this exhausted mellow state, I have less control over the theme of my ruminations. Half formed images of a sudsy Vic soaking in the bath beside me form. The sultry pictures wash over me, and I can't even summon the will to be embarrassed. Here all alone I can find my own relief.

Victiore's P.O.V.

I haven't spoken to Teddy in weeks. I sometimes spot him at meals and in the halls during break, but as soon as I get close he seems to disappear. I know he must be looking for me specifically, since I always wear the charm he gave me in corridors, so his vanishing act is definitely on purpose. As my anger and hurt with him grows, I spend increasing amounts of time in The Room of Requirement practicing wand kata. My natural Veela grace and athleticism have made it possible to progress quickly, and my advanced knowledge base of defense spells have made it easy to start practical magic use. The room has pulled out the stops, producing targets, wooden would be attackers, and obstacle courses, all accompanied by excellent muggle beats.

I feel more confident now than I did at Hallowe'en, that if a boy decides to try and force me I might be more well equipped to stop him. I write to Mamman about my training. Knowing my father will read the letter also, I make sure not to mention possible male attackers.

On the trip back from the owlry one early Sunday morning I spot Jessica Patil tromping towards me. She looks so angry she could spit fire, and this is coming from someone who probably can. Her hair is disheveled and she is wearing a scandalously small pink nighty that I can't believe she even owns, not to mention wears outside her dormitory. "VICTIORE WEASLEY!" she shouts shrilly. "I know my own name, thanks." I respond at a polite conversational volume. Her pink face turns red and she bellows "You stupid little ho! I can't believe half the things people say about you but this, this is by far the worst!" Just because I am quiet dose not mean I am weak willed, and I defend myself,"You started most of the rumors about me Jessica. So it is no wonder you don't believe them." Her face bypasses red and turns maroon. "MANNY TOLD ME THE ONLY REASON HE ASKED ME OUT WAS BECAUSE HE COULDN'T," she pauses for breath "HAVE YOU!" Ah, so that is the crux of the matter. Tears of anger are running down her face, and my lack of reaction is clearly frustrating her even more. Despite the earliness of the hour a crowd is gathering. The speed that gossip travels here never ceases to surprise me. "Manfred Bletchly is a cad, Jessica. Even you are well shot of him." My clam response seems only to infuriate her more.

She pulls out a wand. from Merlin knows where since her attire is so scanty, and brandishes at me. "Come on you stupid cow! Tell me what you do to them all to make them want you. I know that Veela hair is one of the ingredients in Amortentia. Did you blackmail the house elves into spiking everyones drinks?" She dose me too much credit, and her wild accusations are starting to get on my nerves. I pull out my wand as well warning, "You don't want to do this Patil. Your making baseless accusations, and this is a duel that you will be hard pressed to win. Put away your wand and we can forget about it. I don't even like Manfred." My last sentence was the wrong one. Jessica shouts "Patrificus Totalus!" and I have no choice but to defend myself.

Several things happen in close succession. First my anger causes the floor around Jessica and I to grow hot, causing the ogling crowed to jump back with singed sneakers. Second I cast a shield charm so powerful that Patil is knocked back onto her barely covered behind, and third Peeves arrives at the scene. He sings "Hity, hity, little witchy. Poke her eyes, that little bitchy. Scratchy, bitey, punchy loud. Be sure to smile for the crowd!" as we duel fiercely. I underestimated Jessica's intelligence. Underneath her vapid vindictive exterior is a quite capable dueler, I suppose that all that pent up anger's got to go somewhere. My constant barrage of defense spells cause her to scream in frustration. The types of spells she is firing change from fairly harmless jinxes and stunning spells, to curses that have the potential to cause serious damage. My training in wand kata comes in handy as I dodge, duck and avoid the bright jets of light. "Furnuculess!" I call and she fires a curse back that if it had made its target, would have caused me full body second degree burns.

The crowd backs away for fear of being struck by a wayward spell. The floor around blackens and cracks as my anger threatens to take over my control. I have no wish to seriously wound Jessica, perhaps a bit of light maiming, but no permanent damage. She dose not seem to share my magnanimous view, however. Just after she shouts "Conjunctivitis!" and I dodge it, I spot Teddy in the crowd. My concentration waivers briefly, and it is just long enough for Jessica. She spits "Sectumsempra!" and her aim is true. The feeling of white hot knives piercing my skin overwhelms me. I fall to the scorching floor as blood pours out my chest from three deep gashes there. My vision darkens and the last thing I see is dark red drops hitting the blackened flagstones and hissing on contact.


	7. Chapter Six Spell Damage

Chapter 6. Spell Damage.

Teddy's P.O.V.

It is like a bad dream. I watch as Vic falls, an expression of surprise on her beautiful face. There is so much blood it seems impossible that one person could contain it. I run to her paying no heed to the floor melting off the soles of my trainers. Pointing my wand at the wounds on her chest I shout every healing spell I can think of. There is no affect, and in desperation I rip of my jumper and press it too her wounds, trying to staunch the seemingly endless flow.

Suddenly there are teachers beside me. I am being hauled bodily away from Vic and I don't care that it is professors that hold me. I lash out and my qudditch player's strength makes the two aging Astronomy scholars no match for me. I kneel at Vic's side again and grip her limp hand. The floor is burning the skin of my legs and I barely feel it. The school Matron, Madame Aeolus, pours an emergency blood replenishing draft into Vic's sagging mouth and shouts "Somebody floo St. Mungos. We need an emergency healer. What happens next is lost to me, because one of the professors stuns me and I am far to distracted to protect myself.

When I come to I am lying on a bed in the Hogwarts hospital wing. There is no one else on the ward except a miniature first year sipping a pepper up potion. I leap to my feet, only to find that they are wrapped in clean white bandage and are exceedingly tender. I ignore the pain and stride up the isle between the beds, heading for the Matron's office. "Mr. Lupin!" Madame Aeolus says reprovingly, "Sit down this instant. Your feet have just been healed." I ignore that to, until she puts two beefy hands on my shoulders and shoves me into a chair. "Where's Vic?" I demand. "Mr. Lupin," Madame Aeolus's tone is slightly softer, "Victoire Weasley is in St. Mungos Hospital for Magical Maladies. She has suffered serious spell damage, and it is beyond my modest capabilities to heal her. I have not seen violence like that here since I was a student during the Second Wizarding War." My heart drops into my knees and my voice comes out hoarse as I ask "Is she going to be ok?" The matron's expression is grim as she says "She has a chance of surviving, but that was dark magic. I don't know if she will ever be able to heal right without the counter curse." My voice is slightly stronger with my next question, "The Healers will find the counter curse right?" Madame Aeolus says nothing, and that is all the answer I need. My heart is heavy with guilt and grief as I lie back down on the crisp cot. Vic, I love you and I am so sorry that I never told you so.

Victiore's P.O.V.

Pain. Searing hot. Someone is screaming, I think it is me. Someone is weeping nearby, it isn't me. It feels like there are three daggers that have recently been foraged are being pressed into my chest. It hurts so bad. When the darkness fogs over my brain again I welcome it. Anything but the agony.

Later My eyes flicker open for the first time and are greeted by an unfamiliar scene. The ceiling of the room I am in has large round mage lights floating there. They lend a soft glow to the room, illuminating several pristine white hospital beds a sterile looking sink and a window with the blinds shut tight. By my bedside sits my father, his face in his hands, and as I try to turn and speak to him a searing pain shoots up my chest. I gasp and pass out. So much for conversation.

Teddy's P.O.V.

It has been a long, agonizing six days since Vic was injured. It seems like so much longer. She has not woken for more than a second or two, and has not spoken at all except to scream. When I got discharged from the hospital wing I went straight to the Owlery and sent a letter to Vic's parents begging for news. They responded with the false confidence that adults use on small children that they don't want to upset. I am desperate. This whole week I have been buried in the library at every spare moment. I can't remember the last time I slept for more that an hour or two. I have been searching desperately for a counter curse, and thus far have been fruitless. I can't find the 'Sectumsempra' curse anywhere.

The news hasn't all been bad however. Jessica Patil got expelled, and has a hearing at the Misuse of Magic Office pending for next month. It is a bit ironic that after all that awful harpy did to get Vic expelled it was her that had to face the music.

This morning I went to the Headmistress's office to beg to be let off school grounds, so I could go visit Vic. I am of age, so I am legally responsible for my own well being. I argued this to McGonagal, but she still refused. Tonight I am going on my own. In my first year my godfather Harry gave me the Marauders map. Tonight will be the first time I really use it for something important.

When the clock strikes eleven, I sneak out of Griffindor tower. The corridors are cold and drafty, ice crystals adorn the windows and the February wind howls around the castle. Looking down at the map I avoid meeting Mrs. Norris on the fifth floor and Peeves on the third. When I finally reach the statue of the One Eyed Witch, I am nervous and slightly out of breath. "Desendium" I whisper, then climb into the small opening behind the statue. It is a tight fit. My shoulders are squashed uncomfortably up against the sides of the tunnel, and it takes some doing to reach the passageway. When I finally get to the Honeydukes's basement I disparate.

The map is now useless, as I am standing in front of St. Mungos. The sky is dark and fluttering flakes of white appear in sharp clarity under the glow of a street lamp. I nod to the ugly mannequin behind the glass, then step through the window into the warm. The waiting room inside is packed with witches and wizards. Several haggard looking Healers are running around with clip boards and wands, trying to sort out the melee. I slip past a man who's face is bright orange, and a witch who is spouting sonnets about how awful the hospital is. Under cover of the chaos in the room I use my metamorphagus skills to change my appearance. Once I look about thirty years old and have transfigured my clothes to appear like a Healer uniform, I march off to search for Vic.

Following helpful directions that were posted in the atrium, I head to the fourth floor. Above a broad white door a large sign reads 'Spell Damage' in bold black font. I feel slightly nauseous, thinking of beautiful Vic in this sterile impersonal place. It is less crowded here and as I navigate the halls I see only a few tired looking Healers. Conscientiously I mimic their hangdog expressions until I find a ward titled 'Unknown Curses'.

The door is locked until I whisper "Alohamora" and enter. There are fourteen beds arranged in neat rows of seven. Eight are occupied by sleeping patients, and I am careful not to disturb anyone as I stride to the end of the room. I don't need a sign to point me to Vic. Something in me is drawn to her, if we are in a room together I just instinctively know where she is.

When I come up to her bedside and look down at her my face changes back to itself in shock. I expected her to look bad, but this is so much worse. That indefinable glow that Vic always has is gone. Her beautiful hair, which usually shines like liquid mercury, is lank and dull. Her arms lie neatly by her sides as if someone placed them there and she hadn't moved since. On her bedside are a bunch of 'Get Well' cards and a bouquet of flowers. I collapse into a seat and reach out to grip her cold hand. She dose not stir. I watch small the bubbles that travel down a tube into her mouth. I guessed that it is blood replenishing draft, because of its deep rich red shade. Vic probably needs it constantly because she is bleeding so much still. Underneath the crisp white hospital blanket I can see the outline of thick bandages around Vic's chest. The night was nerve racking, I am very tired and I lay my head down on the hard mattress beside Vic's hand. My heart beats a little easier now that I have seen her. I know that Vic might be dying, but at least I got to see her one last time.


	8. Chapter Seven The Blood of the Prince

Chapter Seven. The Blood of the Prince.

Victiore's P.O.V.

My eyelids feel impossibly heavy. They are extremely reluctant to obey me and open. I can feel my hand clamped in someone's, and I know it is not my father or mother's. This is Teddy's hand. It is so broad and callused. It causes warm currents to travel up my arm. I want desperately to speak to him, or see him, or just to grip his hand back, but my body is stubbornly un responsive. I can hear him saying something to me. His words fade in and out and I only catch a few,

"I love you Vic... you mean the world to ... please get ... love ...Vic..."

I can't hold on any longer. The darkness and pain claim me once more.

When I next wake it is to find a Healer wrapping new bandages around my chest, and Teddy no where to be seen. I wonder for a moment if he was really here, but quickly dismiss the thought. Of course he was. Teddy would not leave me in this place alone, he loves me.

Teddy's P.O.V.

The next day at Hogwarts is a blur. I am bleary eyed for lack of sleep, and my thoughts are consumed by terrifying images of Vic's pale form. She seemed only a few steps away from death in that hospital, not even able to open her eyes. The prospect of attending DADA is daunting, all those happy students without friends who are dying, so instead I wander the halls. It feels like someone has sucked the hope out of me, until I walk past a tapestry depicting several angry troll in tutus beating their flamboyant and foolish would be dance instructor. Bizarrely I am reminded of that day so long ago, when Vic danced as a little girl in a pretty pink skirt. I know how to get the counter curse.

In the summer past, when I came of age, Harry told me a story. He has always been a bit foggy about his past and I have always wanted to know more. The heart of it is that he told me about the reason the Room of Requirement is always a bit charred, and what his history was with that hallowed place. My forays into it have included a late night escape from Filch, and using it to mope after a brutal quiditch loss. Harry said that the room will give you anything, so long as you ask correctly. I walk in front of the stretch of blank wall beside the ludicrous tapestry. After ruminating for a good five minuets I pace by the place three times while thinking,

"I need a counter curse for the dark spell 'Sectumsempra' that will heal the wounds that Victoire Weasley sustained last week by the hand of Jessica Patil."

A surprise greets me when I open my eyes. The only door I see is that of the front of a smoky old fashioned display cabinet. When I pry it open the only thing inside is a heavily charred, dilapidated copy of Advanced Potion Making. Gingerly I open what remains of the front cover and in one corner barely legible is a scrawling script spelling out 'Harry Potter'. I must have been thinking of Harry hard when I asked the room for help, because in my hands I hold the very book that caused my godfather so much trouble in his sixth year. This book was once the property of Severus Snape, the inventor of the very curse that has so wounded Vic. I know that that ex headmaster was a great brave man, but I dearly wish that he had never invented the 'Sectumsempra' curse, and the fact that he did puts an angry sour taste on my tongue.

Gingerly I flip through the blackened pages. Much of the bottom left corner of the book is burned off and most of the text is difficult to read due to age and fire damage. Maybe the room helped me out or maybe it has been that way since Harry hid the book so long ago, but one page has a corner turned down. When I flip to it I find "Sectumsempra, for enemies." scribbled in the margin. Just below is an even messier annotation, almost as if the author of the former added the latter in as an after thought. It reads "counter curse, Sanitasanare (nvbl)."

Without a further thought I jam the ashy text into my satchel and sprint for the statue of the One Eyed Witch. Hastily dodging a sleepy Professor Sinstra, and the Bloody Baron I descend countless stair cases, and it seems to take ages to finally reach the concealed passage to Honeydukes. The rest of the journey to St. Mungos is a blur. I am momentarily delayed by an irate reception witch in the entrance room, until I put a weak confundus charm on her and make her let me pass. It doesn't matter that my reason as well as my respect for the authority of the law have flown the coup, all I can think about is getting to Vic's side. My emotions must be running really high because the door of the 'Unknown Curses' ward springs open as I approach. There are no Healers, thank Merlin, on the ward and I am unimpeded as I approach Vic's bed.

She lies impossibly still, and for a moment my heart jumps into my throat, but then her chest shudders slightly. I exhale a vast lungful of air that I seem to have been holding since visiting the Room of Requirement. After stripping back her covers, my hands hesitate above the bandges winding tightly around her chest. I mentally smack myself before gently unraveling the thick gauze. My mind is so focused on saving her that my eyes barely stray from the horrendous gapping wounds marring her body. Gathering all my will, putting all the magical strength I can muster into the incantation, I think 'Sanitasanare' fiercely. Vic shudders below me. Her breath flutters in and out rapidly, like the wings of a pixie. I watch fascinated as the slashes that were so recently bleeding copiously, start to mend. The counter curse did not work like dittany which accelerates the natural healing process. Instead it sealed the wounds from tip to tail, as if some giant invisible cosmic being was pinching them closed. After three passes of the incantation all that is left of Vic's injuries is three long angry scars. I re-wrap the bandages, then tuck her back in. She dose not wake when I place a soft kiss on her cheek. Death will not come to claim her now. I know it deep in my bones.

As gently as possible I lie on the bed on top of the covers beside her. I lift her head up and slip my arm under it divesting of her pillow. When her breathing has changed to a slow even rhythm I let myself feel the incalculable relief of having her healed and in my arms. The exhaustion of the past week finally catches up with me. Sleep is ok know; Vic is safe.


	9. Chapter Eight Healers Hand

Chapter Eight. Healers Hand.

Victiore's P.O.V.

As reality creeps up on me and I slip out of the dream world I recognize a few things. I am in a warm comfortable place. The pain that has been giving me constant agony for days is significantly reduced. I feel safe. Lastly and most importantly Teddy is here. One of his large muscular arms is wrapped loosely around my waist and the other is tucked neatly under my head. I smile and breathe in the piney smell of him, so happy to have my senses back in my control even if my chest still aches sharply when I take a breath. My head is crystal clear, and I know with an unshakable certainty that my fancy for Teddy is not going away. Perhaps it has always been a part of me. Teddy is my best friend, and has been for my whole life. He is my absolute rock, as steadfast and constant for me as Hogwarts is to the wizarding world.

"Merlins Beard!" a voice jolts me to attention. My reactions are very sluggish and my body is shockingly weak as I turn my head to spot the speaker. A very surprised Healer stands at the entrance to the ward. Her clip board is hanging loosely in one hand and her wand is in the other, until she seems to gather her senses and react. "I have now idea what this man is doing in your bed young lady, but you are seriously ill. He must leave this instant!" I prod Teddy while blushing furiously. I am so embarrassed that I can hardly speak, and my lack of voice isn't helping the situation at all. "Wuzgoinon..." Teddy has graced us with his eloquent conversational skills. He gently unwraps himself from around me. Briefly ignoring the glaring Healer at the base of my bed he kisses me softly on the cheek and says "Oh Vic, I was so worried about you. I thought you might ... blimey I am I glad you didn't." He then unfolds himself from the small bed and stands up, running a hand through his hair and smiling.

"Healer," he glances down at the woman's illuminated name tag, "Miranda, I am so sorry you had to catch me like this. Your patient is my best friend and I was _really_ worried about her." He gives Healer Miranda a broad grin and the woman seems to soften significantly. "I showed up early this morning," he lies, "And was just so worn out that I must have fallen asleep." He appears so innocent and charming that the woman just tuts and blushes down at her clip board. "Young man, you should really leave. I don't know how you got past the front desk but I must give this patient her check up now. Besides visiting hours don't start 'till nine." He thanks her, apologizes then heads for the door. Just before leaving he shoots me a huge sunny smile, his hair turning to bright gold, the color of happiness. "Be back soon, Vic."

Teddy's P.O.V.

I step out into the hall and exhale with relief. The haze of last night lifts, and I can truly live the glory of Vic's recovery. It is amazing and ... well words are inadequate. I whistle my way up to the tea room on the sixth floor. There are several sleepy looking Healers drinking tea and coffee, they are clearly too tired from a long night shift to notice that I am out of place. I reach into my pocket for gold, as I am suddenly ravenous, but find it empty. In my fevered rush from Hogwarts I clearly forgot some things essential for an overnight stay. The long cafeteria tables have sugar cubes sitting in little baskets on them, so I take one and nibble on a corner. After non verbally conjuring a mug, and filling it with water 'Agumenti' I sip and try to quench my hunger. I am still whistling in happiness, and my jubilant emotion is so strong that I inadvertently change all the chairs upholstery from maroon to bright orange. The tea room looks decidedly 70s now, with its brown table tops.

"Teddy? Iz zat you? Teddy what are you doing 'ere? You are zuppozed to be at 'ogwarts, mon chere. Did you slip away just to zee Victiore?" Fleur Weasley is standing beside her husband in the tea room. I exclaim when I see them, and while I am gripping Bill's hand in a shake, I tell them "Vic's going to be fine, she's going to be alright." Bill seems to sag. In relief or disbelief I can't tell. Fleur eyes me in skepticism, "Teddy it eez ok if you believe ziz, but I do not want you to get up your 'opes. Ma petite Victoire est tres malade. She is very ill, Teddy." I encourage them with a "Just ask the Healers, Mrs. Weasley. She _is_ going to be ok, as sure as Merlin."

Bill looks at me, his scared face lined with worry. "Are you sure Ted? Are you positive she is going recover?" Fleur has already glided off in search of a Healer when Bill entreats this of me. His voice is hoarse and desperate and I respond with fervent confidence. "I wouldn't lie to you, Mr. Weasley. I found the counter curse and used it on her." Bill's white face turns red and his voice is much louder when he says, "You used a counter curse that you found in the school library on my daughter without consulting a Healer? Merlin's beard! You're about to give me vanishing sickness." He had stood up in anger during this proclamation, but at the end he dropped down again into his seat. "She didn't have much time and you know it, Mr. Weasley. It would have taken days if I'd told the Healers. Vic did not have days." His objection is lost when a shining faced Fleur runs into the room. "Ma petite bichette est vraiment bien! Victiore et récupéré!" I don't speak french, but I get the gist of it as Fleur throws herself into her husband's arms and starts kissing him throughly. I look away a little embarrassed but really happy as well. Once the two of them are finished snogging, we all eagerly head for Vic's room. Along the way Fleur sends six swan shaped patronuses to go inform the family that the danger has been averted. I watch as the elegant birds take flight in swirls of misty silver exactly the same shade as Vic's hair. I am so happy I feel like I could make one hundred patronuses this instant.

The next week was a flurry of activity. Vic is moved to the Hogwarts infirmary, where she will spend the remainder of her recovery while being within reach of her teachers. The St. Mungos Healers were quite baffled at Vic's healed wounds. They chalked it up to the recuperative powers of Veelas, of which there is little recorded information, and the extreme amounts of blood replenishing potion they gave Vic. Neither me nor Bill disillusioned these uninformed medical professionals, we were both just glad that Vic was better. I got the distinct impression that Bill was watching me closely. I think my actions may have alerted him to my sentiments towards his daughter.

Victiore's P.O.V.

I may be going a bit batty. Being fussed over by the matron every half hour is sending me up the wall. Must she always plump my pillows so throughly before I lay back down after drinking by essence of rue? It is a bit ludicrous, and the only thing that is keeping me relaxed is Teddy. He comes to see me every day, bringing with him my home work, food snuck out of the great hall and most importantly, company. I yearn for his visits, to see him and fill the empty place in my heart that seems only to exist when he isn't with me. Blimey, I feel like such a sap. That curse of Jessica Patil's must have addled my brain.

In the hazy series of memories that I have of the time at St. Mungos I remember Teddy vividly. I am not entirely sure what was a dream and what wasn't but the Teddy in my thoughts loves me. Loves me, and not just as a friend. A little hopeful flutter in my chest at that makes me feel quite silly. Why would Teddy feel like that about me? He is so strong and handsome, smart and good. He is quidditch captain and top in his class, what reason has he to want to be with me in that way? A nasty little voice inside my head whispers 'You are beautiful.' I argue with myself 'Teddy wouldn't want me for that.' The voice responds cloyingly 'Are you certain, little Veela? He is a red blooded male after all.' I feel pain in my chest that has little to do with the angry scars there. I say quietly out loud, trying to convince myself, "Teddy wouldn't want me for that."

"I wouldn't want you for what, Vic?" Teddy is striding up the wing, his hair bright purple showing his curiosity. I feel a blush rise up my cheeks and adjust myself on the cot to hide it. A bolt of fire runs through my torso and I gasp. This time it is caused by the wounds that have not healed entirely. "You ok Vic?" Teddy asks, his hair fading to blue with concern. "I'm chuffed, don't worry. It's just a bit sore." I gesture to the bandage peaking out the top of my robe. Teddy glares at the bandage like it just made a very rude comment to him, before saying, "Patil got expelled you know. She even has a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry soon." I snort in accent and derision. Jessica is getting her comeuppance finally.

Teddy starts shifting around in his seat a bit. He looks quite uncomfortable as he asks, "How much do you remember from ?" I study him carefully as I respond, "Dunno what was real, truthfully. I seem to remember you declaring your undying love for me, so I must have been stuffed." As I say the end bit, Teddy's face looses most of it's color and his hair changes to gray. He looks as if he's aged ten years in four seconds. "Blimey... they must'a dosed you with a lot of healing spells." I notice that he is avoiding the topic, carefully. "So you aren't about to get down on one knee?" He shakes his head firmly. My heart is being contrary today. First it wants Teddy, then it doesn't and now it is wavering again. My fancy of him is powerful, and I can't help but feel an extreme gratitude towards him that I don't understand. Tentatively I reach out and take his hand in mine. His palm is large and warm, and his long broad fingers wrapped firmly around mine, dwarfing them. We fall into a silence that is neither comfortable nor uneasy. It is like our bonded hands are holding all the ills of the world back, and until the moment we part we will reside safely in our own haven. As we are thus firmly tied together my heart conquers it's indecision. I know that Teddy is the one for me, perhaps he has always been, he has been my best mate and my favorite person for as long as I can remember. I know he feels the strength of our bond, and that if we were to become more than friends it would not be because of my beauty alone. With other boys I always feel uneasy, but with Teddy everything is clear and simple. While we are together I know that I am safe and loved.


	10. Chapter Nine Temperaments n'Temperatures

Chapter Nine. Temperaments and Temperatures.

Teddy's P.O.V.

By the time Vic gets let out of the hospital wing it is the end of February and is close to Easter. I have been exchanging letters with Bill and we think that the reason Vic will always have scars from her collar bones to the start of the base of her rib cage is because the counter curse was not used immediately. Vic doesn't mind, she told me jokingly that maybe she won't be so beautiful anymore, but her mother is upset. Fleur Weasley wrote her daughter a long letter telling her that all scars mean is that Vic is brave, and she shouldn't be ashamed to show them. I agree and believe that Vic will always be beautiful to me no matter what. In a moment of boldness I told her so and her face flushed. It mayn't have been the best idea to tell her I fear. People have been saying she is beautiful since birth and the complement is usually something unpleasant for her to hear.

As the end of the year approaches the amount of N.E.W.T. homework that the seventh year teachers are doling out seems to double. Easter break will be mostly spent shoving through the vast piles of the stuff. My marks slipped a bit while Vic was in the hospital because I couldn't seem to concentrate on anything else. She is still always at the center of my thoughts.

We have begun casually touching one another, which was something we never did before. At breakfast her arm might brush against mine, or while we are studying our shoulders might be just close enough to come into contact occasionally. It is making me into a nutter. I mean Merlin's pants! She is so breathtaking that I can't seem to keep my head on straight when our skin is touching, it is mad. Blimey I love her.

Madame Aeolus has forbidden Vic from flying, or running, or dueling, or anything particularly strenuous, because she is still recovering. If she gets worn out it is difficult for her to catch her breath, and I think her chest is still hurting her. I feel bad that my magic wasn't strong enough to heal her completely, and feel guilty that she still has pain. Vic just waves away any concern, if I notice her wheezing. She is so headstrong and brave, stubborn and beautiful.

Since she slept for so long her magical hair has grown to an enormous length. She is a bit like that beautiful girl with the never ending braid in the muggle fairy tale that Harry used to read me, the one locked in the tower no doors. Maybe that Rapunzel chick was a Veela, if Vic's hair, which now can brush the tops of her toes while she stands, is anything to judge by. I think it's cool and have begged Vic not to chop it off. I don't know much about girls, but having hair that long that you never have to brush must be pretty wicked. It is a standing joke between Vic and I, and to punish me for making her keep her mop she has taught me how to braid it and makes me do it at breakfast every morning.

My mate Will says that I am either barmy or a poof, but he's joking. I know he has guessed about Vic. We don't really talk about birds much, he's been sweet on Mary-Anne Milgrave the Griffindor chaser for months and hasn't said anything. We mostly just play quidditch together and tease each other in classes. Besides Vic, Will is my best mate.

Victiore's P.O.V.

Chere Maman,

How are you and papa? Have the spring storms begun yet? I was wondering if Teddy and his grandmother might come spend Easter with us at Shell Cottage. Andromeda does not enjoy having holidays at her retirement home, and it would be wonderful to have her company. If this is too much it is not a problem. I have not told Teddy of these plans. I hope you are all well, Dom and Louis are happy,

Chere bichette,

I would be very pleased if Andromeda and her grandson were here for the break. Your father grumbles but he will come around. Invite them post haste, but tell Teddy he will be sleeping on the chesterfield as our cottage est tres petite. The storms have begun with a fervour so be sure to bring your bottes. Je t'aime,

Maman

I sit on the chilly roof of the owlry with my broom beside my, gleefully reading the letter from Maman. Beneath the swooping silver writing and francophone spelling mistakes was a lot of love. Teddy would be coming for Easter. I jump gracefully of the edge of the roof and on to my Nimbus Omega. When I am flying all my Ravenclaw caution seems to disappear, and I cannot even bring myself to worry that Madame Aeolus has forbidden me from getting on my broom. After several lazy loops of the astronomy tower I descend towards the Quidditch Pitch. Half the reason I chose such an icy perch to read my correspondence was to be able to watch Teddy's ... I mean Griffindor's practice.

The bulk of the team has left the pitch for the locker rooms by the time my feet touch the turf. Leaning against the stadium edge I try to catch my breath. My chest feels like an angry pixie is fluttering around inside it. Teddy is hovering out by the goal hoops, practicing maneuvers with Mary-Anne. He rapidly dives, skillfully catching a wayward quaffle. The two players make a few more shots and saves before leaving the air and walking towards me. They are both sweaty and red-faced, despite the cold morning, and are both grinning ear to ear.

"What do you know, Ted, it's your lady love!" Mary-Anne exclaims.

Teddy's hair turns from yellow to red faster than a stop light. He splutters something unintelligible before smacking Mary-Anne in the shoulder and greeting me,

"Wotcher Vic."

Marry-Anne enters the locker rooms leaving Teddy and I alone.

"?"

The words spill out of me to fast to be recognizable.

"Sorry?" Teddy asks for clarification.

"Would you like to go to shell cottage for Easter break?"

My sentence is carefully annunciated, but I am staring at my shoes.

"I was going to hang out with my grandmother this Easter, Vic, but thanks for the invite."

I hasten to explain the contents of my correspondence with Maman. As I do Teddy's expression changes from apologetic to excited,

"I've got to ask my gran, but blimey Vic that sounds great. I'm sure that she'd love to come."

I am extremely pleased at the prospect of spending the holiday with Teddy. We have been rubbing along really well, and I know that any time longer than a day spent away from him would be painful for me.

"Vic, come on in here before you catch your death."

Teddy is holding the door of the locker room open for me. I enter and am pleased to find we are the only two there. I have nothing against Teddy's team, but they are always trying to get me to converse with them if we are in the same room. Small talk isn't really my thing.

"I thought the matron told you not to fly Vic." He admonishes me gently.

Teddy has been more protective of me than a niffler with nine kits recently. I shrug and smile at him, while he tries to look stern. I take out my wand and non verbally start to clean off the mud spattered on Teddy's nose. Our faces are quite near, and as soon as Teddy notices this a blush creeps up his neck. I sit on one of the benches and Teddy starts taking of his qudditch gear. The keeper armor that I gave him for christmas has already softened and shaped to Teddy's broad shoulders. Before I can look away he has pealed of his sweaty flying robes and is standing before me in nothing but a pair of jockeys.

As kids we frequently saw each other in our underwear and thought nothing of it. In his underwear now Teddy's child body is far from my mind. His forearms are thick and muscled, his biceps prominent. My eyes stray across his shapely pectorals and down to his extremely defined abs. Blimey I love quidditch. I bite my lower lip to keep myself from drooling and let my eyes continue there descending journey. Passing over his belly button and down to the elastic of his briefs causes me to blush and look back at his face. He wears a strange hungry expression on his face that I have never seen there. His hair is bright magenta and his eyes are dark with something. Suddenly I recognize the emotion that he is feeling. I have seen it on the faces of countless other boys and have not enjoyed it, but strangely seeing it on Teddy's face is not displeasing. The emotion is lust.

Teddy's P.O.V.

Vic's eyes seem to caress me. She sits on a bench, the top of her head level with my stomach. Her slivery hair surounds her in a diaphanous curtain, reminiscent of an invisibility cloak. When she bites her full bottom lip and I nearly groan out loud. I am not unaffected by this situation and quickly, before Vic notices the result, I turn and rush into a shower booth. I yank the curtain closed and turn the water on as cold as it will go. Morgana's tit, that was awkward.

When I finally leave the shower, after I have calmed down, it is to find Vic waving her wand in a complex weaving motion behind her head. Her hair knots itself into an intricate six strand braid, laying down her back in a broad ribbon.

"Let's go eat."

I say gruffly after I've dressed. We wander back up to the castle and into the great hall. After I have eaten four bowls of porridge, and Vic's had an apple and a peice of toast we part ways. I really must do some studying, as I have three essays due before the break. I mustn't let my imagination make free with the moment in the locker room.

Several hours later my brain is feeling like a wrung sponge. I gather my books from the table in the Griffindor common room and head for the library. I need to look up the exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. Lugging my bag through a sixth floor corridor I meet the prefect Melanie Fern. She looks a bit lost without the commanding presence of Jessica Patil beside her. She glares at me but doesn't say a word. Patil was always the brains of the operation, and was the one who came up with the biting comments. The library greets me with a dusty quiet coolness. I wander through the stacks into the transfiguration section. "Accio Gamp book." I summon softly knowing that if I am caught I will insight the wrath of Madame Pince.

'Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration states that no food may be conjured from nothing, this however dose not stipulate for inanimate-to-animate transfiguration resulting in an edible animal. For example if a wizard were to transform a desk into a pig, then slay the pig and eat it that wizard would be able to find a way around Gamp's Law.' I chuckle hoarsely at the thought of eating a desk/pig, wondering if it would taste a bit woody. Blimey I am knackered, simple research has got me seriously contemplating eating desks. Without further resistance I ease into sleep, my head slides off my palm and lands with a gentle thunk on the table.

Victiore's P.O.V.

The library is quiet and dark. The door opens after 'Alohamora' and then I enter. All the teachers have been keeping such a close eye on me that my protection charm is mostly useless for looking in the restricted section. I have yet to give up on wand kata, and have concluded that it was my inexperience and distraction that lost me that duel with Jessica. I am determined not to let it occur again. After I have perused the shelves on offensive dueling at my leisure, I head for the door my head full of information. What follows is mostly because I wasn't paying attention but also could be blamed on the fact that I was recently steeped in texts on the subject of famously vicious battles. Among others the ones between Grindelwald and Dumbeldore, Voldemort and Potter, and Merlin and Morgana have been historically documented and recounted in a fascinating text titled 'Moral Warfare. From the 18th to the 21st centuries by Warren Piece'. Somebody rose up before me, directly in my path, and I freaked out. Firing off a stunner before the figure could continue its assault I felt proud at my quick reactions. That is, until I found out who it was that I'd knocked out.

Teddy lay his limbs akimbo, full length on the dusty library carpet.

"Oh my." falls out of my mouth as I drop to my knees beside him. "Renervate! Oh Teddy I didn't know it was you. I'm so sorry!"

He groans as he comes to then squints up at me through the darkness. "Vic." Impossibly a large smile spreads across his face. His hair changes from the bright orange of surprise to a sunny yellow for happiness.

"You could have just asked if you wanted to get me on my back you know." he teases.

I know a blush is creeping up my cheeks, and I hit him lightly on the shoulder for the innuendo. After we have both risen, brushed of our robes, and collected our books we leave the library together.

"I really didn't mean to stun you, Teddy." I say, my voice whispery form mortification.

"Your aim says otherwise, fair lady." He looks at my dismayed expression and adds "Don't worry about it Vic. What's a few stunners between friends?"

Without question Teddy starts to walk me in the direction of Ravenclaw tower. The corridors are icy and a strong wind rattles the old windows with sharp gusts. My school robes are insufficient for keeping me warm and when I shiver Teddy throughs a large arm around my shoulders.

"Better, luv?" he asks smiling down at me.

My flighty words have again deserted me at the pleasant sensation of Teddy's strong form so close to me. I nod. We are almost at the eagle door knocker when Teddy spins me around, picks me up, and wraps me in a tight hug. When he speaks, his voice is quiet, his warm breath tingling down my neck.

"Thanks for inviting me for Easter, Vic."

I respond softly, "I didn't want to spend all that time away from you, even if it was just a long weekend."

I can feel him smile against me. Just as he sets me down I do something that surprised me as much as it seemed to surprise him. I kiss Teddy on the cheek. He seems faintly stunned as he bids me goodnight and wanders away. The eagle door knocker asks

"I can cause a sudden heart rate increase, loss of memory and overall brain function. What am I?"

My brain seems to have been invaded by wrackspurts and my thoughts are slow to reach the tip of my tongue. I remember the kiss with Teddy and the way he made my heart flutter like fairy wings and say to the irritatingly perceptive bronze fitting

"Love."


	11. Chapter Ten Easter Storms

Chapter Ten. Easter Storms

Teddy's P.O.V.

It is the day before Easter in Shell Cottage and everyone is milling around preparing. I bed down on the couch last night, while my grandmother slept in the guest room. Bill and Fleur have been excellent hosts, keeping the house full of laughter and love for the duration. I have not been alone with Vic since she kissed me on the cheek. We always seem to be 'chaperoned' by one of Vic's younger siblings or my grandmother. It is so artfully done that it doesn't look deliberate, but knowing Bill it probably is. I have taken to going down to the beach though it is quite stormy and looking out upon the sea. Vic told me once that there is nothing so beautiful as the ocean during the storm, and though I don't agree I can see what she means. With the constant ebb and flow of the waves, crashing in the great symphony of nature it is quite astonishing to watch.

When evening comes the house quiets down and I find myself alone in the living room. My sleep is fitful and restless, disrupted by the claps of thunder in the distance. I know I must have slept a little because when I next wake the storm seems to be directly over head. I go out onto the tiny covered porch outside the kitchen and marvel at the immense strength of nature. Up on the cliffs facing the sea I spot a small white figure being buffeted by the wind. By some instinct I know it is Vic, and after jamming on a pair of wellys I sprint towards her. She wears nothing but a plain white ankle length night gown which is plastered to her by the deluge of rain. Her exceedingly long hair whips around her in wild tendrils and her arms are raised above her as if she is embracing the fury of the storm. This strange vision of Vic momentarily brings me up short, before I catch a couple of sweet notes born towards me on the wind. Vic is singing to the storm. She looks like some kind of erethral nature goddess unleashing her emotions in a magnificent tempest.

Tentatively, I approach her, unwilling to interrupt her obvious enjoyment. Before I have touched her or made any sounds she turns towards me. Her eyes hold a hot blazing look, at odds with her lips which are faintly blue with cold. She dose not speak, and instead leaps surprisingly into my arms. She is feather light even soaking wet meaning it is not a challenge to hold her. Her icy blue eyes stare into mine as she kisses me hard on the lips. We are locked together in an impenetrable embrace, the storm howling around us.

By the time Vic and I have released each other and made it back to the cottage the rain has eased up a bit. We are both soaking and frozen, Vic more so than me. Her bare feet were so cold that they were pink and I insisted on carrying her down the rocky cliff path. We are also both dazed, the sensations of our first kiss stunning us both. Vic stands shivering by the flickering kitchen hearth for a moment before kissing me softly on the cheek and then running up the stairs to her bed room. I feel as if I've been confounded.

Victoire's P.O.V

Easter dinner arrives and the dinning table at Shell Cottage is weighed down by dishes of French food with names that no one but Fleur and her children can pronounce. I am seated between Louis and Teddy and I am blissfully happy. Teddy is holding my hand in secret beneath the table and we have been grinning like loons at one another all evening. The conversation is happily rowdy, Mrs. Tonks is in an amicable argument about broomstick safety with Bill, Dom is telling Maman about her Astronomy class, and Louis is regaling everyone with tales of how wonderful Griffindor is not really caring who is listening.

No words are needed for Teddy and I to communicate. Since I have never been that talkative, the no-speach-conversation was something Teddy and I worked out early. He winks at me, expressing his jubilation by turning his hair pure gold. I nudge him with my sock foot under the table, admonishing him slightly for his obviousness. I feel like he might as well have just stood up and yelled "WE SNOGED!" to the whole table, and strangely I don't mind much. I pull my hand away for a moment so I can at least make the impression that I am eating, then quickly intertwine my fingers in Teddy's again. I feel an uncharacteristic blush rise up my cheeks as Teddy shifts our joined hands into my lap and I can feel the warmth of his arm seeping through the fabric of my trousers into my thigh.

Dom drops her fork, and I am so distracted that I don't think to release Teddy's hand as she dives under the table. When she bangs her head hard on its underside, rattling the dishes, then returns to her seat cursing I realize my mistake. Once my sister's eyes stop watering she looks at me with wide curious eyes. 'Busted' I think.

Once desert has been devoured, Dom tugs me upstairs into our bedroom. "You and Teddy?" she whispers, her eyes bugging out. I nod while smiling sheepishly. "Teddy?" She repeats incredulously. "Yup. It just happened, Dom. We didn't plan it or something." I defend. "Blimey! He's practically our brother, Victiore. Isn't it weird?" I shake my head, smiling slightly. She is still looking at me as if I just announced my undying love for hinkypunks. She scoffs and makes some dubious sounds like "Pusshh." and "Pfff." then grumbles a bit more. "Teddy?" She says again under her breath before flumping down on her bed and announcing "I want details."

Teddy's P.O.V.

I am standing in the cramped kitchen at Shell Cottage drinking a midnight glass of water the day before returning to Hogwarts when Bill corners me. His heavily scarred face is difficult to read, but I am fairly sure it is scowling. "What are your intentions towards my daughter, Mr. Lupin?" I gulp down a sip of water that seems to end up in the wrong pipe, causing me to splutter. "Intentions?" I cough. "Intentions." Bill answers firmly. Mulling over this demand for information for a few long moments I discover the answer is not hard to find. "I love Vic, Mr. Weasley. I have for a long time. You know that." Bill's inscrutable face seems to soften slightly, the deep grooves of his scars relaxing a bit. "Well then... Hurt her and I will get my brother Charlie to feed you to a Horntail. Understand?" I nod emphatically, finishing the conversation. We part after Bill has given me a slightly painful slap on the back.

I love her. The answer was so easy, so simple. It is the reason my heart seems to soar like a phoenix each time I see Vic. Love. "Blimey..." I whisper under my breath. I hope Vic feels the same way. Thinking back to that moment on the cliffs, her burning eyes, her fiery kiss, it seems that way. The primal growly part of my heart purrs contentedly, some part of my longing for companionship fulfilled.


	12. Chapter Eleven Burning and Broom Closets

Chapter Eleven. Burning and Broom Closets.

Victiore's P.O.V.

The first week back at school I only see Teddy at breakfast, and in the library occasionally. His N.E. are approaching with alarming speed and he is studying so hard that his eyes are bloodshot. Teddy wants to get hired by the 'Establishment for Magical Equality Liberation and Freedom (E.M.E.L.F.)' and follow in the footsteps of his father, fighting for werewolf rights. My aunty Hermione started the organisation after the Second Wizarding War. She wanted to make sure all magical beings had equal right, wether they be centaurs, house elves or goblins. However, to join E.M.E.L.F Teddy's got to have top marks, thus my not getting to enjoy his company as much as I would like.

At breakfast on Wednesday Teddy follows our routine and starts braiding my hair. The obnoxious stuff is so long now it would drag behind me in a train if I let it. Teddy's fingers feel nice against the back of my neck, and warm shivers tinkle down my spine. Sappily I think about how complete I feel when he is around. The sensation of a hot shock starts at my heart and travels through me directly into the spot where Teddy's hands contact my skin. "Bloody hell!" Teddy exclaims. I spin round to find him blushing furiously, looking stunned down at his apparently unharmed fingers, his hair is bright magenta. "Are you ok? I'm not really sure what happened." I say. Teddy stops looking at his hands, looks at me, then glances mortified at his lap. "I gotta go." He blurts, before picking up his school bag, holding it at his waist, and sprinting from the hall. Teddy's friend Will is sitting across from me and he looks just as baffled as I. Murmuring a quick goodbye, I run after Teddy, leaving the Griffindor table.

I can't find hide nor hair of him. "Hommonum revelio." I murmur. The swooping touch of the spell travels down my arm to my wand and into the surrounding hall way. I feel several presences nearby, through the magic, but a certain electric tingle identifies one of the beings as Teddy. I approach the broom cupboard where he is presumably hiding and knock.

"Teddy? You wanna let me in?" I hear him groan frustratedly, but he does open the door. "Are you alright? You scarpered away from the Great Hall faster than a hippogriff with a doxy bite." He is sitting on an old bucket, his school bag on his lap and his hair resolutely pink. "M'fine, Vic... You might want to tell me what and why you did that thing to me at breakfast Vic. Why in Merlin's name would you want this," he gesticulates towards his lap, "to happen in front of all those people?" I am thoroughly confused and ask "What thing?" He looks surprised, "I touched you and you... you zapped me sorta. I thought it was on purpose." I am astonished,"I zapped you? I certainly didn't mean to. You were just touching my neck, and it felt lovely, then I kind of got all ... well," My sentence peters of and my shyness latches on with a vengeance. "I made you feel tingly?" Teddy is grinning, his handsome face bright.

What I do next is so out of the blue that I surprise us both. Moments ago we were sitting on buckets in a dusty broom closet having an embarrassing and confusing discussion and now I am snogging the life out of Teddy. After his initial shocked unresponsiveness he reacts so enthusiastically that he lifts me right of my bucket and into his lap. His satchel is knocked to the floor and I am naively baffled by the delicious sensations caused by our intimate contact. Everything is so hot, unfamiliar and exciting. His large hands spanning my back, tangled in the silver waterfall of half braided hair. My mind is blank of anything but him, Teddy. My hands are wrapped around his waist, touching his chest, encircling his neck.

A scorching shock sensation runs through me, like last time this one seems to originate in my heart then travel outwards to all the points of skin contact between me and Teddy. Except this time it is much more powerful. Teddy groans loudly, then pulls away from our kiss. His voice is a bit hoarse as he says "You did it again, Vic. That zappy thing." "I did?" Experimentally I reach out my finger and touch it to Teddy's exposed neck, concentrating on the memory of the shocking feeling. Immediately it tinkles pleasantly down my arm and into Teddy, causing him to moan quietly and bite his lip. "Blimey ..." he whispers, "Do that again Vic." I comply, this time laying my whole palm on his skin. He curses softly before crushing his lips against mine.

Any curiosity relating to the 'shock touch' that I had evaporates as Teddy's hands run under the back of my shirt which has somehow become untucked. The fiery feeling runs outwards from my chest, uniting Teddy and I with some kind of burning lust that seems disproportionate to the snogging that we are doing. We brake apart briefly, both breathing heavily, before Teddy starts kissing my neck and I forget all about oxygen. This might have escalated into full blown madness, I mean off your trolly knicker-less craziness, had we not been interrupted.

Teddy's P.O.V.

I have snogged two girls in my life before I snogged Vic. In fifth year I stepped out with Elizabeth Finnegan for about two weeks, and in sixth year I kissed Patricia Lebowsky after winning the quidditch cup and drinking three shots of Fire Whiskey. Nothing could even possibly come close to what it is like snogging Victiore Weasley. There was some kind of magical current running between us, making my vision blur it felt so good. Almost like Vic's fingertips touching my skin caused tendrils of pure pleasure to permeate my body. We were heading in a dangerous delicious direction that I am sure nether of us have ever been when the least opportune person to find us did.

"Mr. Lupin and Miss. Weasley! Clothe yourselves and exit that cupboard immediately!" Headmistress McGonnagal barks from outside the door. She had just opened it, exclaimed, then quickly closed it with a bang. "I never would have guessed. Such impropriety stemming from you two!" Her indignation and surprise has been overridden by sternness by the time Teddy and I have tidied ourselves up sufficiently to leave the broom closet. "Detention both of you. And ten points from both Griffindor and Ravenclaw." Her brusqueness is tempered by an almost imperceptible blush in her bony cheeks. "Tonight at eight o'clock sharp you will meet Professor Hagrid by his hut. Bring your wands and your dragon-hide gloves." We both wait to see if she has more to say. "Well move along! Get to class." she chivies us down the corridor.

I am practically busting at the ribs from holding back my laughter. As soon as we are out of earshot of Minne it pours out of me, and I can hardly breath for chuckles. Vic is sniggering beside me as she gasps out, "I thought she might explode! 'Clothe yourselves immediately'" Vic mimics laughing. Once we have calmed down enough to inhale properly we say brief non-verbal goodbye. On the way to my Ancient Runes class I duck into the loo. Looking in the mirror to ensure my hair is no longer morphed pink, I breath a sigh of relief. My spiky hair is a vibrant shade of yellow, expressing happiness, but not any other embarrassing type emotions.

Victiore's P.O.V.

When I said that I wasn't that promiscuous or interested in boys I was wrong. I just hadn't found the right bloke yet. After my mind numbing snogging session with Teddy, I had no desire to attend Charms class. Instead I follow my feet to the library, and start perusing the shelves.

In a section labeled 'Magical Creatures' I find a book that immediately sparks my interest. It has a dusty silver cover that seems to glow faintly and the title on the worn spine reads 'Veelas. Virtues and Vices. by: Valencia Valentina'. Upon opening it I find list of the subjects contained.

pg. 2, Appearance and Genetics

pg. 203, Accidental Magic in Childhood

pg. 511, Growth and Development

pg. 623, Magical Properties

pg. 809, Mating Magic

pg. 1049, Magical Abilities After Maturity

I blush profusely at the chapter titles chosen by Valencia Valentina, then flip immediately to 'Mating Magic'. Scanning over the text my eyes are drawn to a subheading, 'The Pleasure Touch'.

The pleasure touch is a magical phenomenon not wholly reserved to the Veela species. Humans can sometimes experience it during the act of intercourse, but it is little more than a light tingle, and is far less powerful then the Veela pleasure touch. At will and at any moment a Veela can summon strong feelings, usually of passion or love and send them into another being through skin to skin contact. While intercourse is occurring the pleasure touch unites the Veela and her sexual partner at the point where their bodies are joined. Veelas gain this power after puberty when they find the first person that makes them feel passionate. Some Veelas in history including Helen of Troy and Nefertiti have used this ability to gain power over men. If used with care this touch can bring sensual pleasure to both the Veela and her partner. One must be warned however, this intimate connection dose not always bring pleasant sensations. If the Veela sends angry emotions into a being she is touching, it can bring pain or severe discomfort. Depending on the power of the Veela's emotions the touch is correspondingly more strong. This capability is not to be trifled with and is one of the reasons that Wizards throughout history have been extremely wary of angering a Veela.

The information is strange to me. I have been so wary of men my whole life that I never guessed, or wanted to know, what sensations or feelings a relationship could bring me. My Maman once gave me an overly detailed description of sex that included things about my Papa that I would rather not have heard. Excepting that however, my knowledge of sex is limited. It was my naivety about it and my own species that caused me to be so surprised while touching Teddy. Now I just want to consume all the information about Veelas that I can find. I unleash my inner Ravenclaw and don't stop reading until the bell signaling the end of lunch has rung. Considering I missed all my morning classes, I really should make an effort to get to potions this aft. I don't want to give McGonnagal even more reason to put me in detention.

As I descend through the busy corridors I finger my wolf charm and ruminate. Veelas are said to reach full maturity after their first experience of true passion. This thought makes me blush and wonder what Valencia Valentina's definition of 'true passion' is. I have certainly never felt anything like what I experienced with Teddy this morning, perhaps that was true passion. The book has a whole section reserved to how a Veela's magical abilities increase and change after maturity. I have yet to peruse it, and I quite wary of what I might find.


	13. Chapter Twelve, Didactic Detention

Chapter Twelve. Didactic Detention

Teddy's P.O.V.

I meet Vic at the base of the marble staircase at quarter to eight. She blushes when she sees me and I grin. Tentatively I reach out and grasp her hand. To my enjoyment, her fingers lace through mine, and we head palm to palm down in the direction of Hagrid's hut. It looms out of the darkness quite suddenly, as the night is a bit foggy, and we find Hagrid out behind the pumpkin patch holding a pair of shovels and a large lantern. Grawp lumbers around in the nearby forest, grunting and tuneless melody in his deep gravely voice.

"You two got yer gloves then?" Hagrid intones by way of a greeting. "Yes Hagrid!" I practically shout. With his enormous wiry beard of pure white and his sagging wrinkly face, Hagrid is quite deaf and if you want to be heard you must put some volume behind your speech. "Grand. Lets be off then," Hagrid motions for us to follow him. Vic glances at me, her eyes filled with apprehension, and I smile at her. After an incident in Vic's third year involving a kelpy, a boggart, and a doxy she is slightly reluctant to enter the Forbidden Forest.

To my surprise Hagrid doesn't lead us through the ancient trunks. Instead we skirt around the edge until we meet up with the gently lapping bank of the Black Lake. While handing us each a shovel Hagrid says, "Look a' the edge o' the water. See tha' grimy stuff?" He is pointing to an out of place gooey substance that seems to coat the shore line. "Headmistress McGonnagal wants samples for study. We donna' know what the bleedn' stuff is. Put on yer gloves and start shovelin' it up into this 'ere bucket. I'll tell ya when ta stop." He plunks a large bucket down on the sand then adds "Don' touch it mind. It burns like centaur piss." After we acknowledge his instructions loudly he walks off into the forest in the direction of the crashes caused by Grawp.

It turns out that the bluish goo is surprisingly resilient, and stubbornly reluctant to be shoveled. It is a bit like muggle pudding, except each time you pierce it with the shovel it seems to recoil and glom back on to the mass you were trying to remove it from. Vic and I are sniggering as we attempt to get more then a teaspoon of it into the bucket. "It doesn't seem to want to go." Vic laughs then adds "Here hand me your shovel." I do, and watch as she cleverly uses the shovels like tongs, scooping a bunch of the blue goo into the bucket.

We take turns with the tong-shovel method and I tell Vic about my qudditch training regime. She listens attentively and I realize that this is one of the things I love about her. No matter what it is, I know I can talk to Vic about it. She might joke or tease, but she always takes the things that matter to me seriously.

I am distracted by my thoughts until an excruciating burning sensation assaults my hand. "Bugger!" I swear and drop the shovels. "Teddy what happened?" Vic comes up to me and we both look down at what was recently a perfectly good pair of dragon hide gloves. A small drop of the goo has seared through the thick leather and into my palm. I try to shake it off, but the air just seems to make it burn worse. Vic pulls out her wand and murmurs a banishing spell softly, causing the small drop to leave the wound on my hand and then fly into the bucket. "Blimey! What in Merlin's name is this stuff?" I exclaim. Worry creases Vic's forehead as she tries several healing spells with no success. "I dunno, Teddy. I can't seem to heal your hand, and I haven't heard of that many substances that can burn through dragon hide. That kind of leather is supposed to be almost magically impervious."

We turn to the edge of the water and Vic holds up the lantern that Hagrid left with us high. The deceptively innocuous looking goop lines the shore for as far as our lantern light can permeate the darkness of the falling night. Our eyes meet and no words are necessary, we are both wondering what has caused this goo to exist.

Victiore's P.O.V.

After Teddy and I have filled the bucket with care, avoiding touching or splashing the mysterious goop at all, Hagrid comes back and relives us of our duty. When we show him the wound in Teddy's hand that is still bleeding freely into his handkerchief Hagrid murmurs and oath. "Why dinna yer tell me tha' 'append? Goon up to the infirmary, Ted. 'hat looks sore. This blasted stuff is worse then I though'." he adds.

The matron is appalled. "How on earth did you acquire an injury such as this, Mr. Lupin? It looks like a curse wound." Madame. Aeolus bustles around the ward, shooting me a disapproving look as if I'd caused Teddy's misfortune, while she removes the ruined dragon hide glove. "We were in detention Madame. It was no body's fault." Teddy's answer cuts through the matron's glare, and her face immediately softens. I have noticed that with a small smile or a brief wink, Teddy can cause a lot of good humor in the female population of Hogwarts. The tutting matron fetches a bottle of dittany, mixes it with ground mandrake root, boobertuber pus and a hint of carefully dispensed powdered horn of erumpent before spreading the poultice liberally on Teddy's wound. "Miss. Weasley, bandage this up will you. Henrietta Edgecombe has had a mishap with an anti acne charm and she needs my attention." Without waiting for an answer, the matron hurries off.

Gently, I grasp Teddy's large hand and begin wrapping the pristine cotton around his wound. He hisses, his hair changing to grey, and I softly tease him, "Don't be such a plimpy, Teddy." As was my intention he chuckles, reverting his locks to a pale yellow. Once the bandage is firmly bound I place a whisper of a kiss at the base of Teddy's wrist.

"I found a book in the library." I say.

Teddy smiles and jibes, "That is generally what one discovers in the stacks, Vic."

"It isn't an ordinary book, Teddy. It is about Veelas."

Teddy just looks at me waiting for me to continue. I add, "There was a part about that touch thing. You know, what happened in the broom closet." My voice is diminished by shyness, but I continue speaking. "It says that the 'pleasure touch' is something that all Veelas can do, not just me."

His grin gets even larger, "Well, aren't I a lucky bloke. I just happen to have a Veela girlfriend you know."

A blush creeps up my cheeks. "I'm your girlfriend?"

Teddy looks confused and asks laughing, "What did you think you were? A blibbering humdinger?"

Impulsively I kiss him hard on the lips, unhindered by the nearby presence of Madame Aeolus. It is a bit strange; normally I am quite shy and don't show much affection publicly, but when it comes to snogging Teddy my 'normally' seems to fly the coup. I pull away before things can get too carried away and Teddy grumbles a bit. "You can't just spring that on a fellow then walk off Vic... You're pushing me off my rocker." He is laughing as he says this and I know his comment isn't entirely serious.

Once Madame Aeolus has given us the ok, Teddy and I head in the direction of Ravenclaw tower. As we walk slowly through the deserted corridors, Teddy's uninjured hand holding mine, we postulate on the origin of the goo.

"I can't think of any books that I read that mentioned something like that... There was so much of it. It must be really doing a number on the shoreline."

Teddy looks thoughtfully out a nearby window at the lake far below, the reflection of the moon glittering over its surface. "I wonder what the merpeople have to say about it. It has got to affect them loads." His forehead is furrowed in concentration, and we have momentarily stopped walking.

"Didn't you do a unit on Mermish in Ancient Runes? D'you think we could ask them?" I inquire.

He answers first with a soft snort then, "I only know how to say 'don't spear me' with a really terrible accent. I dunno if I could ask a merperson anything."

"Well maybe we can find someone who can." I respond. "In any case, we should go to McGonnagal and ask if she knows more than what Hagrid told us. She probably won't let on if she dose, but it'l be a good place to start."

We have reached the end of our journey, or at least I have. The spiral staircase leading to the entrance to Ravenclaw tower awaits me and Teddy and I come to a halt. Teddy initiates a kiss by yanking me by my hand until our chests are touching and our lips are bonded. I respond to his eager advance with equal fervor, and soon I am pressed against the wall, my legs tangled in Teddy's and my hands buried in his now pink hair. We are heatedly intwined, Teddy's lips branding a trail down my neck, when we are unfortunately interrupted. This is becoming a frustrating habit of ours.

"Ahem..." Someone coughs loudly and Teddy and I untangle ourselves to find Melanie Fern looking at us crossly. "This isn't Madame Puddifoots, Weasley. You can't just hook up here like some five knut slag." Apparently our amours display has ruffled poor Melanie's feathers. My annoyance turns to anger when she dose not leave us be after she'd spoken her rather uncreative insults.

I'm standing in front of Teddy, glaring at her when something surprising happens. My hand, which was clenched in a fist at my side, starts to heat up. As much to my alarm as Melanie's, my hand seems to have become a torch. This is not the random combustion of days gone by. When my anger is overtaken by shock, the fire fizzles out, leaving my hand unharmed. Melanie's eyes are wide with fear as she spits, "You're just a nobody freak!" then sprints up the stairs.

"Are you alright Vic?" Teddy takes the hand that was so recently on fire into his. "Blimey. You haven't got a scratch on you." I bite my lip and respond hesitantly, "I had really better finish reading that Veela book." Teddy chuckles a bit, then places a light kiss on my cheek. "If your certain that you're fine, I'll be off. I'm knackered." I give him a nudge in the direction of Griffindor tower and bid him goodnight.

At the top of the stairs I find Melanie Fern glaring at the unresponsive eagle door knocker. I raise one eyebrow at her, knowing she had failed to answer the inquiry, before letting the heavy handle fall with a resounding clang. The bronze eagle asks "From which seven letter word, once four letters have been removed, will have just one left?" I look at Melanie and think for a moment and my mind snags on our earlier discourse. The echo of Melanie calling me a 'nobody freak' sounds in my thoughts. While looking pointedly at her uncommunicative form I say to the eagle door knocker "Somebody."


	14. Chapter Thirteen Postulation and Passion

Chapter Thirteen, Postulations and Passion.

Teddy's P.O.V.

The meeting that Vic and I coerced McGonnagal into was less than satisfactory. Dear old Miny wouldn't even tell us what she had guessed about the blue gunk she had had us shoveling up. After we were politely but firmly ejected from the Headmistress's office Vic and I parted, me for the Quidditch Pitch were I was meeting Will, and Vic for who knows where, but probably the library.

The pitch was misty in the early spring evening. With all the N.E.W.T. studying, and getting together with Vic, Will and I haven't had much time to just be mates of late. We arranged to meet down here so we could fly a bit, do something other than review potions ingredients and argue at quidditch practice. "Wotcher, Will." I call out as I spot him bobbing high above the stands on his Platinum Arrow. "Alright?" He greets, and I nod. After jumping on my broom, an old model Firebolt that Harry hand-me-downed to me, we fly about a bit. Our speed is quite evenly matched, Will is a bit lighter than me and thus his slightly slower broom travels at the same speed as mine while we race.

The exhilaration of flight, the glory of the setting sun, and the happiness of the moment overtakes us. We prat about, knocking shoulders and grabbing onto each other's broom tails before picking a couple of seats on benches high in the stands and sitting down to face the lake. "I shagged Mary-Anne Millgrave." Will's statement is out of the blue, but not quite so surprising as he might have expected. I punch him in the shoulder and grin, "So you finally told her then." I am referring to Will's convoluted dance around Mary-Anne that lasted for months. He'd get pissed on Firewhiskey, snog her, then deny everything in the morning for fear that she didn't reciprocate his feelings. I think Vic might have had something to do with Will's stepping up. "It was brilliant. She did this thing with her-" his is about to continue when I cut him off. "Did you see that?"

We have been looking out at the lake during our conversation, and I could have sworn I saw something vast moving underneath the glassy surface. I exclaim and point to the dark water,"There it is again!" We both see it this time. Something huge, dark and long undulated beneath the surface before descending once more into the icy depths. "Blimey..." Will's voice comes out hoarse. "What in the name of Merlin was that thing?" I ask. Will responds with another question, "D'you reckon it was the giant squid?" We are staring entranced at the now gently rippling water so far below. The only reason we were able to spot what we did was because the quidditch pitch is far out of the sphere of the castles light, and like a darkened window from there you wouldn't be able to see anything. "I was so big..." I am feeling inexplicably chilled. Will gives a nervous laugh before saying, "Maybe the squid had a bit of a growth spurt." He grips my shoulder hard and adds, "Lets nip down to the kitchens and nick some grub. My stomach is eating my backbone."

As we tromp up to the castle, our brooms over our shoulders, I feel a creeping sense of worry steal over my thoughts. I think of how I am going to tell Vic, and wonder what she will guess about the nature of the mystery in the lake. Will seems unperturbed, his rapidly approaching next meal eclipsing any of his possible curiosity over what we saw. I can't help but be a little annoyed with his passiveness. Will has never been one to question. He accepts things at face value, and doesn't take much time to ponder intricacies.

My worries consume me, and I do not herald the solicitous generosity of the House Elves with the same eagerness as is habitual. "Is Master Lupin unhappy with his pudding? Pim can makes him a second." I look down surprised at the desert that I have clearly been ignoring. "No Pim this is grand. I am just stuffed from your excellent dinner." Pim's tiny chest puffs out in pleasure and the compliment. "We all works hard here, Master Lupin. We is pleased to do it." I make it a point to exclaim at the excellent quality of the pudding as I force myself to eat the whole bowl.

Will is having no such issue with his appetite. He inhales three left over dinner rolls then a pumpkin pastil in the space of thirty seconds. "Mesteadugh." he mutters with difficulty, as his mouth is now full of chocolate eclair. "Ya," I agree, "Let's head up." We thank the House Elves and head in the direction of Griffindor Tower.

Victiore's P.O.V.

I have read the entirety of 'Veelas. Virtues and Vices. by: Valencia Valentina', and have discovered many alarming things regarding my person, about which I was ignorant. My quarter-Veela mother might have thought it inconsequential enough to merit not telling me, but I am apprehensive to say the least. The text says that each Veela, once she has reached full maturity, may turn into an 'Avius Harpeia' when angry. Basically it means I will be a kind of emotion fueled, involuntary, animangus bird of prey. As if that wasn't bad enough it says that the 'Avius Harpeia' can spit and through fire if provoked.

The author was annoyingly vague on the definition of what 'true passion' entails. I can hardly abstain from intimacy for the remainder of my life for fear of what might occur. This thought comes to me as I sit starring contemplatively at a painting of a portly bearded man waring a garish pink hat. "I am already to in love with him to turn back." I say out loud. The flamboyantly dressed portrait exclaims "Jack Splat would eat no fat, his wife would eat no lean. But in betwixt the two of them, they licked the platter clean!" This seemingly unrelated anecdote from the aging drag queen in the painting bolsters me, and propels me out the door of Ravenclaw Tower. I need to have Teddy's comforting presence by my side. He always has a way of easing my fears and grounding me, and besides my brief visit to St. Mungos, I have never been so worried on my own behalf.

It is late, long past curfew, but I pay that no heed. Slipping on the wolf charm so as to avoid detection I walk hurriedly in the direction of the Griffindor common room. Some sort of intimate internal compass draws me in the direction of Teddy. I am brought up short at the portrait of the Fat Lady. She sits snoozing noisily in her frame, and I realize that I have no password to give her. I am not a Ravenclaw for nothing, however, and do not let this dissuade me from my dazed journey towards my hearts desire. "Accio Teddy's broom." I whisper, and on command I hear a distant crash, a near one, and then the broom is by my side. It is broader than mine, and more buoyant as I leap onto it. After gliding through the recently broken window I murmur "Repairo." and pause to watch the beauty of the glass springing back into one glossy pane.

The windowsill of the Seventh Year Griffindor Boys' Dorm is damp, slippery, and coated with a crunchy layer of newly shattered glass. I repair this window too, following my apprehensive entry into the large room. I check each bed and am astonished and amused to find that none of the eight occupants rose due to the sound of smashing glass. Merlin, these boys could sleep through a stamped of Hippogriffs. A flash of deja vu overwhelms me as I approach Teddy's bed. The last time I snuck into his bed reaped uncomfortable results in our friendship, but this time it feels slightly different. I am not nervous about being with him, nor am I unsure. There is a solid certainty of love that is acting as a foundation for other sorts of feelings. I need him, both to comfort me, to hear my fears about an animal within me that I can't control, and just to touch him.

Without further thought, I remove my slippers and dressing gown, then slip to the warm bed. Teddy grumbles in his sleep and I find the thick flannel of my nighty pressed firmly against his bare chest as he flings a heavy arm over me. My troubled thoughts ease as his heat steals over me. "Mmmmm... Vic..." He murmurs drowsily, and pulls me closer. Suddenly I find myself laying over him, my body touching his from shoulder to toe. He had rolled over and dragged me with him. My calmness is overridden by another entirely different emotion. "Uhhhh... Mmm." I am sure that Teddy's dreams are following the same vein as my thoughts when I feel him pressing intimately against me. "Teddy wake up." I whisper to no affect, "Pst. Teddy." He slumbers on until I experimentally touch him with one finger, concentrating on the sensations he is invoking in me. "Argh!" He exclaims loudly and confusedly. I murmur a hasty silencing charm, then look back at him. His hair is bright pink and he is gazing at me with heavy eyes. His voice his husky, with sleep or something else I'm not sure, when he says, "Galloping gargoyles, Vic. You can wake me up like that any time."

I plant a fervent kiss on his lips, and he responds eagerly. Because of my silencing charm there is no one to interrupt us this time. This thought in my head, I snog Teddy with abandon, our tongues entwining. We are unsure, and nervous both, as we run our hands over each others bodies. Teddy's chest is firm and lightly peppered with hairs which even in the darkness are clearly pink now. His large hands run shakily over the sides of my ribs then, as if he expects me to stop him, he places them on my small breasts. Breaking our kiss to moan softly, I lean into his touch. There is no finesse in his caresses. His hands shudder slightly, and he occasionally presses a bit too hard, but his attentions have my body humming.

The 'pleasure touch' seems to be making a continuous circuit between us. I can feel the bold evidence of Teddy's passion pressed against the delta of my thighs. The sensations are as overwhelming as they are unfamiliar, and there is no instinct in me that is telling me to stop. We are both wearing far too many clothes, and in an instant we have divested ourselves of my nighty and his quaffle patterned jockeys. He has the momentary clarity to groan out a contraceptive charm before we succumb to our united desires. As suddenly as all our passionate encounters seem to begin, we are joined. There is only a slight discomfort and ache on my part before our intimate contact begins to cause tingles to permeate my body. Teddy is groaning, my breaths are expelled as short pants, his hands tangle themselves in my long hair, and we gasp together. We are out of sink and unfamiliar with the motions of this timeless act, but our efforts soon have the two of us poised at the brink of ecstasy. I bite Teddy's sweaty shoulder as our passion culminates. The 'pleasure touch' that has been pulsing between us seems to explode outwards, taking us both with it. "Vic..." Teddy hisses and I moan, then we are both limp.

I lie full length beside him his front pressed to my back. We are both spent and exhausted as we murmur our love for each other, then succumb to the restoration that sleep offers.


	15. Chapter Fourteen Creatures From the Deep

Chapter Fourteen. Creatures From the Deep

Teddy's P.O.V.

The sounds of my dorm mates preparing for the day wake me, and I gradually become aware of the world. The first thing I notice is that my bed is unusually warm, and rapidly subsequent to that I realize why. Vic lays beside me, he long silver hair spread over the pillows like a gossamer fan. The events of the previous day rush back to mind and I can feel a un manly blush creeping up the back of my neck. To say those events were not what I excepted would be a Horntail sized understatement. Vic always seems to surprise me with that sort of stuff though. One moment she is talking normally, then some sort of spell falls over her and I find myself in the nearest broom closet being snogged for England. Blimey.

She turns in her sleep, and the blanket slips revealing a creamy pale shoulder. I prop myself on one elbow, lean over, and kiss the exposed skin. She stirs dreamily and whispers "Teddy..." in a soft voice. Though she does not seem to be fully awake she wraps her small hands around my neck and places a sweet kiss on my mouth. All my thoughts flee my head, and we are both so absorbed in our gentle morning greeting kisses that the whole world seems to shrink to just us two.

The illusion is rapidly broken when a distant tumultuous crash of water reverberates through the castle. "Crikey! Teddy come look at this!" The bed hangings of my four poster are ripped open, and whatever Will was so eager to tell me is lost when he discovers my company. To my astonishment Vic does not seem embarrassed in the least. She glares up at Will haughtily, and surprising me again is the first to speak. "To what do we owe this unsolicited interruption, Will?" She asks, her voice filled with an entrancing fire. "Uh..." Is all Will can get out, and I don't blame him. With all the airs of a long ago queen Vic turns her back on Will and continues kissing me as if nothing untoward had occurred. I am lost again until a splutter from Will brings me to my senses. "Piss off and let her get some clothes on, mate." He sensibly turns his back.

Once we are both somewhat clothed we leave the haven of my bed too discover the reason for the interruption. All of the seven other Griffindor boys are pressed up against the windows, and Will turns to tell us what is going on his face ripe with embarrassment and relief. "There is somat' in the lake, Ted. It's massive." Vic glides forwards to the window, and my dorm mates part in awe. They have stopped gawping out the window and instead goggle at my girlfriend. A wave of possessive defensiveness roles over me, and I hurry to wrap my arms around her. Manfred Bletchly is still looking stupidly at the print reading 'Lupin' on the back of the Griffindor keeper jersey that Vic wears. Once the blokes have recovered themselves sufficiently, they join us at the window. A scene of unfamiliar destruction greats our eyes.

The surface of the lake is crashing with enormous waves, the ebb and flow of them reaching far up the banks. Trees on the waters edge are up rooted by some unknown cause and Hagrid's hut has been knocked asunder by the force of the angry water. Directly above the lake, a storm brews, blighting the otherwise blue sky. From this vantage point we can see something stirring in the depths of the fathomless waters.

I chill passes over me, and I pull Vic instinctively closer. The thing that Will and I saw was not a trick of the light, nor was it the giant squid. An unidentified undulating creature has taken up residence in the black lake. It's massive movements seem to shake the very foundations of the castle. Even with only brief glimpses of the scaly hide of the monster visible, we can tell that the thing is easily six times the size of the giant squid. The nine of us stand sentinel and silent, watching riveted. The first to speak is Will, "We've gotta find out what in Merlin's name is going on."

Victoire's P.O.V.

I pull away from Teddy and the boys, an unfamiliar uncomfortable feeling stealing over me. In a sort of daze I grab my wand, then Teddy's broom. Something seems to have a hold on me, drawing me out towards the catastrophe unfolding in plain view. Before anyone else has had time to do more then turn round, I have leapt onto the broom and shot out the open window. Teddy calls out to me and a force outside of myself prevents me from returning to his side. An indefinable purpose has taken me up. I circle the tumultuous tempest that is sending flashes of bluish lighting into the furious surface of the lake. I can't say what has robbed me of my reason, but it feels as if another being has invaded my body and I am watching circumspect from the sidelines.

As I draw nearer it becomes apparent that there are people fighting to contain the devastation. Teachers and duelers wearing the green robes of 'The Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures' office at the ministry send fruitless spells into the watery depths. Bizarrely I remember a passage in the Veela book as I circle lower.

"In times of need Veelas can sometimes absorb the moods and will of a crowd of beings. This may cause the Veela to act defensively in instances of danger or high emotion, so beware. It is a will exterior to her own, and depending on the power of the crowd and the nature of the situation, can cause the Veela to sacrifice her own existence for the greater good. Older Veelas can sometimes suppress this instinct with difficulty but it is not in their genes to do so. Veelas in large crowds, like at sporting events, can sometimes be spurred to actions of violence against their own intentions. This capability birthed the wizarding sayings 'As fickle as a Veela' and 'Veela violence'."

As this comes back to me fear starts to permeate my heart. I want to stop, but can't. The 'fickleness' of my species has overridden my Ravenclaw reason, and unprepared and barely armed I am careening towards a beast about which I know almost nothing. The wind howls around me, and I can hear the shouts of the teachers below, ordering me to come back. I cannot. I think of Teddy, his love for me, his warm jumper enveloping me with is scent, and how disappointed he would be if I croaked. Suddenly my Weasley bravery returns to me, appropriately while I wear the Griffindor colors, not of my house. Determination fills my heart. If I can't stop myself from fighting at least I can do my utmost to battle bravely.

I yank out my wand a change my plummeting trajectory. It would not due to dive straight into the lake, without knowing anything at all. A powerful gust nearly knocks me from my broom, and I realize that this will have to be a brief reconnaissance mission. My hair whips around me, looking like lightning in the strange illumination, halfway between sunshine and the darkness of the storm. I become one with it, accepting my fate in this fury.

Below something springs out of the lake, which looks more like an ocean now. A huge leviathan, its back riddled with ancient wounds, its scales an unforgiving grey. As it dives again into the depths, its massive barbed tale flicks out into the surrounding air, armed with spikes each easily as long as a muggle automobile. The scaly hide of the leviathan seems to be coated in that viscous blue goo that Teddy and I were made to clean up so recently. As it rises again I dive towards it, aiming Teddy's magnificent broom at the beasts head. When it comes into view I gasp in fear.

The eyes are impossibly large and frightening. As I fly around the side of the head, which as risen out of the water to be has high as the great hall, I glare at one eye that is equal in size to Grawps entire head. The leviathan glares back through the watery red of its dilated pupil. Annoyed by this small figure interrupting its view of the castle it tosses its head in my direction. The force with which the collision knocks me causes me to drop forty feet in a spinning out of control dive. I am miraculously uninjured, but now anger has come to my defense. I fire curse after curse, inundating the beast with magic. As it rises again from the water, furious at the spells bouncing off of its seemingly impervious hide it releases a howl of anger. The sound is so forceful that the claps of thunder now occurring moments apart pale in comparison. The leviathan is filled with malicious malcontent as it slams its tale against the trees of the Forbidden Forest that surround the coast of the lake. The massive oak trees that have been standing for centuries, peacefully watching the goings on at the castle, are bashed to smithereens or impaled on the spikes of the leviathan's tale.

My sadness at the ruin of those majestic protectors is nothing compared to the anger I feel at the senseless killing of all their animal inhabitants. The bowtruckles, thestrals, birds, hippogriffs, and others that found their homes in the lofty branches of the destroyed trees deserve more than a pointless death. Maybe it was my anger, or my contemplation of the flight bound creatures, but a change seems to take a hold of me again. Pain not caused by injury assaults me as my bones alter their orientation and shape. It seems that Valencia Valentina was right about the transformation that Veelas can achieve after full maturity. I had experienced my own 'true passion' and now I was completing my reformation into my 'Avius Harpeia' form. Without legs to hold it Ted's broom gets whipped away in the increasingly violent storm. My new found silvery bronze wings spread out on either side of my now sleek eagle body. Flight in this form fills me with a fierce defiant joy. I will conquer the leviathan.


	16. Chapter Fifteen Powers Unknown

Chapter Fifteen. Powers Unknown.

Teddy's P.O.V.

A fear like nothing I have ever felt floods my system, the coppery taste of it polluting my mouth. Watching Vic dive straight towards that massive beast, then seeing her be tossed mercilessly about by the storm has paralyzed me temporarily. As she transforms into a massive metallic colored eagle my stupefaction is broken and I leap into motion.

"We have to help her!" I shout at my dorm mates. They are almost as dumbfounded as I had been until Will responds, "Blimey Ted. It might be suicide to try and fight that thing." I glare at him and bite angrily back "Don't say that! She isn't gonna... she won't-" My words fail me as the scene outside the window takes a turn for the worse. Bird-Vic has just been knocked aside by the vast viperous head of the leviathan. I watch in horror as her bronze-silver form plummets towards the surface of the lake. For a few heart stopping moments it seems like Vic will hit the water and be lost, but then she rallies and rises from just above the rolling water. Her recovery gives me hope, but also hardens my resolve like a permanent sticking charm.

I stand at the open window and shout "Accio Firebolt!" as loudly as I can. It takes a few moments but out of the melee of the tempest emerges my battered broom. I mount and leap out the window, plunging several meters before recovering altitude. To my surprise Will joins me on my right side and then further astonishing me Manfred Bletchly flies up on my left. Suddenly, all the male Griffindor seventh years are present and a accounted for as we streak towards the battle unfolding below us. With my mates flying around me I feel stronger and I am filled with gratitude at their bravery.

The fury of the wind buffets us and makes powerful attempts at unseating us from our brooms. As we approach the churning sea, we see the forms of the Merpeople of the lake fighting the Leviathan with spears at and below the surface. The teachers and Ministry workers spot our group and yell at us to fall back immediately. Manfred Bletchly hesitates briefly in the air until a shrill screech originating for Bird-Vic brakes him out of his indecision. As he overcomes his fear his face hardens into a fierce battle mask, and he turns to me for instruction.

For a moment my mind seems to detach itself from my body's imminent danger. Years of tactical analysis in quidditch and chess come to my aid as I study the problem. The teachers and Ministry workers stand on the shore fighting, but the leviathan is too far away for their spells to be at full strength upon contact. Vic darts rapidly around the face and head of the beast whenever it comes to the surface and suddenly an idea comes to me.

"We need to get the thing closer to the shore!" I shout into the melee of the howling storm. "Push it towards the beach, away from the castle and towards the teachers!" Like the quidditch agile players I trained them to be, my friends dart to the far side of the beast and start putting my plan into action. Bloodlust and protective instincts have overridden any fear that still lingered in me and I dive towards the massive back of the leviathan shouting curses as I loose altitude. I hear a clear bird call on my right and then there she is. Bird-Vic flies beside me for a few moments, as the leviathan descends again into the water. Shining out of her elegant feathered head are Vic's beautiful human eyes. She expresses to me in a few short moments, the fear, remorse and love she feels. Through her soulful portals I see her confusion and I also see her strength. As the leviathan rises again from the deep, we reach a mutual understanding. Like all the other important events in our lives, we will weather this one together. Our voices mingle in a fierce battle cry as we shoot towards the enormous scaly blackened head of the beast.

With curses from the Griffindor seventh year boys, and sharp jabs from Vic's vicious talons we push the leviathan towards the shore. The Merpeople below seem to understand our objective and begin to aid us in our directed attack. The leviathan grows more and more angry, its massive body writhing with the strength of its fury. Before there is time to react the deadly spikes protruding from the tale of the beast careen towards our small airborne battle group. With the ease of long practice I duck and roll in the air, mentally visualizing a bunch of bludgers. For a brief moment following it seems that everyone is fine, but then we all seem to relies in unison that there is a boy missing from our midst.

Manny has been snagged on one a spike the length of Hagrids hut, before the beast demolished it. It looks like Manny avoided being impaled on the end, but was not so lucky as to evade collision entirely. In horror we watch as the leviathan plummets into the angry water with Manny still snagged on its tail. At the same moment, Will and I lunge into action, and dive after the rapidly vanishing beast. I am descending through the air faster than I ever have done before, motivated not by some sort of game or sport, but by the very real peril for Manny's life. I direct my virtual free fall in the direction of the beast's entry into the water. My heart sinks as fast as I have just dived when I see the last vicious spike disappear beneath the heaving waves, taking Manny's inert form with it. Will pulls up short, and I try to do so as well but my momentum causes me to smack hard into the surface of the lake. The collision with the water is so forceful that the wind is knocked out of me, and I loose my grip in the broom.

The lake is churning and tosses me about as if I have no more substance than an anorexic pixie. I can't breath, I don't know which way is up, and the water is assaulting me from every direction. Something scaly comes into contact with my leg making me believe for one horrible moment that I am actually touching the leviathan. Instead of being my death sentence the scaly thing is my salvation. A small lithe mermaid has gotten a hold of me and brought me to the surface. I heave a desperate breath, not even being able to thank her before she disappears beneath the water again. I struggle to remain afloat, the long ago lazy summer swims seeming so different and so unhelpful in the prospect of the enormous undulating waves. Suddenly the little mermaid is by my side again, but this time she holds another sodden figure as well as my broom. With her help, I heave Manny's unconscious body onto my fire bolt, and then rise haltingly into the air. Manny is a strapping fellow and so am I. The broom was not designed for our combined weight. We teeter, and again brush the surface of the lake as a wave crashes over us. Just as I am sure we will be tossed back into the fathomless water Will comes to the rescue. Together we heft Manny to the shore and dump him on the grassy slope ascending towards the castle. We linger only long enough to ensure a teacher is coming to help Manny, before we again take to the air.

Victoire's P.O.V.

Every second spent fighting the seemingly unaffected leviathan starts to blur together. My unfamiliar wings ache with the effort of the acrobatic flight required to avoid being ingested. Every time the beast's head is above water, I aim my talons for its sunken red eyes. Once long ago my Uncle Harry told me of a phoenix fighting a basilisk in this fashion with success. As a child it was just a story to me, another on the list of astonishing things my family saw and experienced while growing up. Now it is an attack plan.

The surrounding world shrinks away, leaving just the leviathan and me. It climbs out of the water forming a turret of flesh bone and an impenetrably scaly hide that is of a comparable size to Griffindor tower. I jet towards its head, my entire field of vision consumed by the expanse of it. One of the leviathan's enormous eyes glares at me, the sickly red pupil filled with malevolence, just before I sink my long bronze talons through its cornea.

"GGRRRRAAAAHHHHH!" The howl of agony shatters the sound waves with sheer volume. The leviathan begins to shake, and to my terror I realize that my claws are still sunk deep in the beast's eye, firmly attaching me to it. I struggle and beat my powerful wings to no avail. The leviathan trashes about and when it can't dislodge me, it begins to sink quickly into the lake in retreat. With a howl of my own, I rip my now blood soaked talons from the squirting eye of the beast and do my darnedest to gain altitude. My body screams at me and I struggle for breath.

While I have been trying to recover my wits the leviathan has made a more rapid regrouping. It seems to have recognized that I am no longer sunk knee deep in its eye, and instead of taking its chances with the Merpeople, it is rising up towards me with the speed of the Hogwarts Express. I have no opportunity to get out of the way but have a long enough moment to direct my body towards to beasts only remaining eye. Unlike before I am not aimed talons forward, and instead plunge beak first into the enormous furious pupil. It is not only the darkness of the surrounding flesh that claims me as I jab deep in the leviathans head, but also the absolutely inconvenient and possibly fatal reality of unconsciousness.

Teddy's P.O.V.

We have been pushing the leviathan back towards the shore with the combined efforts of the Merpeople and us. Will and I dart in sink, converting our quiddich plays into battle tactics with surprising ease. I am filled with adrenaline and controlled anger until I hear an earsplitting growl originating from the leviathan. I look around and, the moment that that takes is too long. I am powerless to save my love as she plunges beak first into the sanguine surface of the beast's second eye. With a shout I dive towards the trashing creature, heedless of danger. My eyes are riveted to the place where Vic disappeared into the actual optical cavity of the leviathan. Instead of bird feathers, one long lean limb protrudes from Vic's entry point. I duck and dodge, desperately attempting to get close enough to save Vic.

Something strange is happening to the leviathan. It is screaming in agony, and its bulbous head seems to be collapsing in on itself, as if something has dissolved the contents. The noise cuts out and more of the beasts neck crumples. I dive through the now hollowed opening where the beasts eye so recently resided find myself in a cavern-like space with walls of scorched ligaments and scales. This must be what muggles feel like during a plane crash. The claustrophobic terror of falling in an enclosed container. I am knocked against the side and the bluish gluey substance that is apparently produced by the leviathan coats my shoulder and burns straight through my skin. The pain serves to concentrate me on my objective, and I chase down the tunnel of the hollowed interior of the beast.

As the chaos similar to a collapsing building surounds me, I spot Vic. She lies prostrate on a mound of bluish flesh that seems to be rapidly dissolving. Confusion fills me until I spot the cause; Vic's hair is reacting with the essence of the leviathan like acid. Her long silver mane is immersed in the frothing flesh of the beast, and the blue goop is burning away her skin like it did mine. I speed towards her and grab onto her insensible body. With a mighty heave I yank Vic up onto my broom. While I have been trying to find Vic, the leviathan has been falling into the lake during its death throws. When I shout "EXPULSO!" at the interior of the leviathans rib cadge, I find water gushing out towards us. It mixes with the blue gluey substance to create something similar to an acid bath. With Vic in my arms, my escape efforts change into a gripping fear of death. I don't want her to drown with me this way. We can't.

This thought fills me with a steely resolve. I don't care that I was never a very good swimmer, I just fight my hardest to get through the opening in the leviathans side and out into the water of the lake. Despite the overwhelming current and the increasingly heavy weight of Vic, we do make it out. Maybe it was wandless magic, or some sort of strength born of fierce love, but I could not let her die. The water around us is filled with the falling debris of scales and spikes off of the leviathan. I fight to follow the bubbles up, try to make my unresponsive legs propel us towards the surface, but it is a losing battle. No amount of love in the world can be substituted for a non-existent oxygen supply. Without it my limbs are losing their remaining strength and we are losing ground, sinking down in the vortex left behind by the leviathan. I can't think, can't breath, can't rescue her or cast a bubblehead charm because I lost my wand. Water invades my lungs and like Vic, I black out.


	17. Chapter Sixteen Breaths of Fire

Chapter Sixteen. Breaths of Fire.

Victoire's P.O.V.

It is hearing that returns to me first. There are hurried footsteps, shouting, and screams nearby. I try to open my eyes, to move, to twitch a finger, anything to show that I am cognizant, but my body is resolutely unresponsive. A sick feeling of deja vu sweeps over me as I remember the last occasion I felt this way. The next sense to come within my grasp is touch. My nerve endings seem to tingle as they become active and I realize that there are two strong arms wrapped firmly around my middle. Teddy's arms. I listen to his frighteningly shallow breaths, and fast fluttering heart beat. The heat coming off of him is shocking and I know even without seeing him that he's got a raging fever.

Again I try to shift my body and this time I am met with success. My impossibly heavy eyelids pry open. As the world around me wobbles into focus several things come to my attention. The ceiling above me is a familiar pattern of cracked swirling plasterwork design that alerts me to the fact that we are currently sequestered in the hospital wing. I can't seem to move my head, but even still I can see that Teddy and I lie together on one pristine cot. I wonder how in Merlin's name we got passed Madame Aeolus this way. With a wrenching pain I move my head and look to the bed on my right.

Manfred Bletchly lies with his arms and chest wrapped heavily in bandages. He is an individual for whom I hold no love, not even the most fleeting affection really, but I am grateful to him. I know he flew with Teddy and the Griffindor boys to save me, and is prone beside me because of it. Manny may not have an abundance of respect for women, but he is the redeemable sort.

"Victoire! Can you hear me? Make a sound if you can hear me." Dom's voice flits towards me and I exhale a tiny groan to respond to her. The bed dips beside her small hand and me grasps mine tightly. "Oh you stupid, silly, brave duck, Victoire! Why on earth would you do something like fighting that enormous archaic beast? I thought you were going to die! Oh Merlin, Maman and Papa are going to kill you!" Her voice gets shriller and more rapid as she progresses.

"McGonnagal says that no one has seen, let alone fought, a leviathan in over three hundred years. She told the school that the beasts can lay dormant for centuries without food, but when they do rise from the depths they are always really angry. I swear I almost told her to sod off, angry my arse. That thing was down right murderous. Speaking of 'mer' it was the Merpeople who saved you and Teddy. You both would have snuffed it it they hadn't dragged you up to the surface. Blimey I am glad you didn't croak."

She pauses for breath and I interject a gravely "What happened to it?" Dom doesn't need any clarification on my pronoun use and revs up her talking motor again. "You killed that thing, Victoire. Apparently Veela hair has these magical properties to it that desolve the 'un-pure' whatever that means. It like turns the guts of the leviathan into mist and liquid or something. I watched from the window in Griffindor Tower, Merlin's eyebrow that was a huge creature. I still can't believe my shy older sister served it breakfast. Wow."

"Teddy?" My voice is so hoarse is stings, but not as much as my heart does when Dom's expression falls into a solemn mask. Her slews of words seem to dry up and another voice fills in the gap. "Mr. Lupin does not have the astonishing recuperative powers that you seem to benefit from. The leviathan venom has permeated his skin and his body needs to burn it off before it reaches his heart." Madame Aeolus informs me. An unwilling squeak slips out of me and I press myself closer to Teddy's large frame. He seems so solid, so strong, so here. "What happens if the venom -" My voice peters off as I contemplate the horrifying and very real prospect that lies in Madame Aeolus's answer. Before she even speaks I know, it is written all over her grimly sympathetic face, and the fact that she let Teddy and me lie in each other's arms. "There is a chance that Mr. Lupin could die."

Teddy's P.O.V.

It burns like nothing I have ever experienced. I just want it to stop. The fire of it threatens to ignite me like an old photograph tossed into the heart. Please let it stop! If I could just concentrate on something else... Vic. She is here with me, her heart beating against mine, her sweet smell filling my nostrils. I am so grateful. I don't want to let her go, not ever.

Victiore's P.O.V.

Within the next few hours there are many visitors that come through. They are people that I love, Maman, Papa, Louis, Teddy's grandmother Andromeda, but they don't seem to make an impact on the haze of my fear and worry. A few of the things that they say stick with me as I grip my Teddy with all that I am worth. "You bose 'ave been tellment courageoux, Cherri. 'eadmistress McGonnagal is awarding you bose a special award for dee 'services' to dee école." My mother told me tearfully. Andromeda added "My grandson is a strong fighter, just like his mother. It would take a Death Eater to kill him." Her morbid comment strangely assured me. No wee little leviathan was going to end Teddy's life. We had just found out the depth of our love, hadn't even really had an opportunity to explore it, death was not going to rob us of our chance.

After several hours of silence, I whispered into Teddy's ear "You are not allowed to die, Theodore Lupin. I love you too much to let you die. My Teddy... you have got to fight your hardest." To my extreme surprise Teddy's arms grip me tighter to him. In whatever dream realm he is caught in I am suddenly sure Teddy can hear me. Despite my aching throat and sluggish exhaustion I start to mummer encouragement to him. I tell him over and over about how much I love him; how I have and will always do so. "You are my heart's beat, Teddy. Be strong so we can be strong together." There is no one in the world but us two as I speak to him this way. Throughout my life I have never spoken so many of my feelings out loud. Strangely it doesn't matter one knut now. I wouldn't care it the entire castle could hear my words, just so long as I could say them to Teddy.

I don't feel the astonished eyes of my family, but I do hear my Papa say softly "We should leave them be." There is a quite absence of people, following a gentle scraping of chairs and muffled footsteps. Madame Aeolus comes by and informs me that she will "... just close these curtains, dear." I pay her no heed and only grip Teddy to me as tightly as possible as I hear the rasp of the hospital drapes being drawn shut.

Time seems to have become a viscous fluid. In one moment it might appear to halt entirely, and in the next it can spill away. I cling to each second, trying to hold onto Teddy. I do not know how many hours have passed, truly it could have been anywhere from one to days. Beside me Teddy inhales and exhales quickly, his heart beats a frantic tattoo, sounding to me like a pixy trapped in his chest cavity.

Gradually the rapid beat of his heart slows, matching itself to mine. I can hardly believe it. His lungs rise and fall at a more normal pace, and I become aware that the heat that has been pouring off of him in waves has lessened. A soft sigh escapes his dry lips and together we slip into a true healing sleep.


	18. Epilogue

Epilogue.

Teddy's P.O.V

"I am pleased to award the House Cup to Gryfindor this year. Like their name sake, the students of that hallowed house demonstrated bravery and intelligence to such a degree as to earn themselves this award." Headmistress McGonnagal stands at the center of the head table, her face illuminated by the innumerable candles drifting about the air. Her voice fills the Great Hall and every occupant can feel her pride as she says "Our other houses are not to be forgotten however; Ravenclaw in second place, Slytherin in third and Hufflepuff in fourth place have each shown great prowess this year in their various vocations. As Headmistress I am proud to call you every one of you my students."

"Another award needs to be presented before we can sit down and enjoy our sumptuous meal. Among you a few students deserve recognition for their special services to the school, when they helped to bring down the leviathan that threatened us so many months ago. Would each person please raise their glass to Theodore Lupin, Victoire Weasley, William Finnigan, Bobby O'Reilly, Manfred Bletchley, and Andrew Boot. These students have shown courage to the point of foolishness, and have saved our school from damage caused by a beast of old. Thank you." McGonnagal raises her glass, then brings it to her mouth for a dainty sip. Everyone follow suit before rousing up a cheer. The Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables howl especially loud, and across the hall I can see Vic blushing heavily.

When the feasting begins she stands from her seat and glides over to my side. Bobby slides over to accommodate her on the bench as she sits by me. All my mates seem to have acquired a newfound respect for Vic. A still bandaged Manny passes Vic the sprouts, and Andrew inquires after her health. I grin broadly when Vic blushes harder, then throw an arm around her.

It took me until the end of March to get out of the hospital wing after our little adventure. It seems the combination of the leviathan venom and my fever scorched my skin severely. For the better part of the rest of the month I looked like I overdosed on Pepper Up Potion, but after being doused in that goop stuff it is the best that could be expected. It is June now and both Vic and me are fully recovered.

She sits beside me her hair, which was all burned off by the reaction with the leviathan venom, is now about waist length. For a while after the debacle she looked like a small beautiful dandelion because her hair was so short and fine that it floated around her head in wisps. It gave me grounds to tease her, which was quite enjoyable until she zapped me with her 'touch' thing and expressed her annoyance through the link. She has been practicing up on her Veela tricks and is quite proficient at most of them now. As of yet Vic hasn't been able to spit fire. Maybe it is because of her perpetual state of happiness over these last months but I don't envy whoever it is who brings out that particular element of her character.

Vic smiles up at me from her seat by my side and leans in for a kiss. We brush our lips together unashamedly, unhurriedly, and sweetly. It is a kiss that betokens many more to come, without the rush and fervor of our first few and with the certainty of love. I want to grab a hold of each moment we have together and never let go. This summer I am starting my internship at The Establishment for Magical Equality Liberation and Freedom. Because of that Vic and I won't be able to spend much time together, and then she'll be back at school meaning we will only see each other on Hogsmead weekends. I don't want to be apart from her, but I know we will weather the storm. With her it feels like a once in a lifetime sort of deal, like the muggles say we are playing for keeps.

"Where have your thoughts taken you, Teddy?" Vic laughs breaking me out of my contemplations. "Into the future, my love. Our future together."

Dear Readers,

Thank you all so much for sticking with me through this whole story. This was my first fanfiction and by far the longest thing I have ever written. I have read many stories on sites such as this that have made me smile, laugh, get angry, and sometimes cry. I hope this story has evoked some of these emotions in you, and not just tears because of my shocking typos. I will be going through to weed out the worst of them and if you have found any that are particularly offensive feel free to drop me a line.

My shining acknowledgments go out to our illustrious J.K. Rowling, who is far and above my favorite author, and the lady who constructed the world in which this story takes place. It is a tale that was born of an extreme proclivity for nerdyness and a deep love for the Harry Potter books. I don't know if I will write more fanfictions for you all to read but feel assured that I will be reading yours. A tip of the hat to all of the burgeoning authors out there, and a last sincere thank you to all my stupendous readers. Signing off,

TiberiusFish


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